Goonay is originally from Tehran, Iran. She did her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Sharif university of Technology, Iran. She completed her master’s in 2015 at University of Tehran, with specialization in polymer science. She started her Ph.D. at Queen’s university by joining Stamplecoskie’s group in 2016. Her research was focused on studying metal clusters including developing new approaches to synthesize these materials and investigating their photophysical properties. She successfully defended her thesis in August 2020 and has since been working continuously as a postdoctoral fellow in Stamplecoskie’s group. She has taken her research to next step which is investigating metal clusters’ utility in diagnostics and therapy. Her spare time is mostly devoted to her family. The hobby she can never give up is running. She loves to travel, enjoys reading books and watching movies.