Sumaiya has been in the field of Molecular Genetics and eDNA as Research Officer since 2008. She has worked on the Tasmanian Fox Eradication Program and population genetics projects on feral pigs. Sumaiya designed and managed the automation of large-scale detection of predators from trace environmental DNA. She has worked extensively in genotyping feral pigs in the Kimberleys, Kangaroo Island and the Macquarie Marshes. Currently she is working on eDNA barcoding and metabarcoding projects. Sumaiya has also been working with human identification at the Genetic Ancestral Lab on genotyping and phenotyping of human DNA using the Ion Chef.
She has a Diploma in Pathology (Lab Technology) from Canberra Institute of Technology.