[1] Kanani completed several summer placements, working in Australia using the Parkes telescope to search for exoplanets, at Jodrell Bank Observatory using pulsar astronomy.

[3] In 2012 she earned her PhD, which saw Kanani working with the Cassini spacecraft, analysing Saturn's magnetosphere from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

[10] She briefly became a school physics teacher at Ashton Community Science College in Preston, Lancashire, under head of science Gary Anderton, before taking up her post at the Royal Astronomical Society in 2014.

[26][27] Her children's book, 'How To Be An Astronaut and Other Space Jobs', illustrated by illustrator and graphic designer Sol Linero, was published by Nosy Crow in 2019 and was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award.

[1] Kanani was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to astronomy and diversity in physics.