Shalma is a developer who works in the intersection of physics and media, with experience in game development. She has a Master's degree in physics from New York University and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago. She has worked at Intercept Games as a physics game developer, where she developed and improved the physics simulations behind Kerbal Space Program 2 including buoyancy, thermal dynamics, and orbital mechanics. Shalma has taught the undergraduate-level course Physics for Architects as a visiting instructor at the Pratt Institute, and taught Weird Science: The World of Quantum Mechanics at Columbia University's Pre-College program. She also co-hosts, edits, and produces the podcast Why This Universe? which brings research-level physics topics down to the popular level.