Tamela Maciel holds a BSc in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Oregon, and a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Cambridge. Since 2014 she has worked as a physics writer, editor, and science communicator with organisations such as the American Physical Society, Springer Nature, and the National Space Centre in Leicester, UK. She has extensive experience in team, project, and event management, focusing on public engagement with science.​

​In November 2020, Tamela joined UCC Academy as Project Manager for the RADICAL project, coordinated by Professor Justin Holmes, School of Chemistry, UCC. This EU-funded project is developing a novel type of electronic sensor to detect atmospheric radicals and other type of air pollutants. Since June 2024, Tamela is also the Project Manager for the EU-funded TRANSLATE project. In addition to Project Management, Tamela leads the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation work packages for both RADICAL and TRANSLATE. ​