Professor Cheema's research interests centre around engineering biomimetic tissue models.  Her research remit includes both the matrix and cellular components of tissues, with a specific focus on controlling biophysical parameters of the matrix to direct cell behaviour. 

She was part of the team to pioneer the novel plastic compression technique for collagen type I scaffolds to generate dense, tissue like scaffolds. She has worked on projects in bioengineering of musculoskeletal tissues using these collagen scaffolds. This has directed her further work into developing primitive vascular networks in tissue models and complex, compartmentalised models to study tumour-stroma interaction. 

Recent research projects include the development of a reproducible 3D in vitro model of solid tumour growth. Here the spatial architecture of a tumour and its surrounding stroma has been reproduced in vitro, with evidence of tumour invasion into surrounding 'normal' tissue. Engineered tumouroids include epithelial cancers and sarcoma's. 

Her collaborative work includes engineering basic tissue models to study decompression sickness, using hypoxia-induced signalling to enhance the angiogenic potential of engineered grafts and developing models to study stem cell niche.