Zelal was born in the southeast of Turkey, within the ancient lands of the Tigris and Euphrates. She was trained in civil engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and Boston Northeastern University (NU), then continued her education in building and architectural engineering at Politecnico di Milano. She later pursued design studies through specialized courses at NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) and Istituto Marangoni.

With a background in civil engineering and architectural design, she leads a multidisciplinary studio working across spatial design, construction and collectible objects. Her practice centers on the relationship between form and function, sha-ping spaces and objects through proportion, structure and material intelligence.