Shimaa Mehanna

PhD Candidate in Chemistry

Research Advisor

Arjak Bhattacharjee

Shimaa is a chemistry department PhD candidate at Tech and is working with Dr. Arjak Bhattacharjee for her PhD thesis. Her research work is on 3D printed localized drug delivery systems with chemically modified natural medicinal compounds such as curcumin from turmeric, tannic acid from tea plant extract, etc., for bone cancer treatment and other bone tissue engineering applications.

She won a prestigious poster presentation award in the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA-sponsored conference, organized by New Mexico INBRE, held in Santa Fe. This is a highly competitive conference in the health science domain with participation from universities across the New Mexico region. Shimaa presented a poster on her research related to polydopamine and tannic acid-coated 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) for chemopreventive and antibacterial bone tissue engineering applications. She won first place among graduate students in that poster competition. The award was presented to her on November 22, 2025 at the conference by the conference organizing committee chair and NM-INBRE program director, Prof. Shelley Lusetti from New Mexico State University.

Shimaa is originally from Egypt and got her BS degree in Science from Tanta University, Egypt, MS degree in Biochemistry, with a specialization in Molecular Biology, at the University of Stavanger in Norway, and is currently pursuing her PhD degree in chemistry at NMT. She loves listening to music, spending time in nature, traveling to explore new places, and spending time with her family and friends.

Schematic representation of Shimaa's PhD research work that covers interdisciplinary chemistry, tissue engineering, advanced manufacturing, and the clinical applications domain. Fabrication of 3D printed polymeric scaffolds followed by loading chemically modified plant-derived compounds, such as turmeric extract, tea extract, etc., on the scaffolds to assess their chemopreventive and anti-antibacterial properties. These antibacterial novel scaffolds could be used as a localized delivery vehicle for chemoprevention and dental / bone cancer treatment.

Announcements

Register for Dissertation & Thesis Boot Camp - COMM5080 January 12-16, 2026 9:30AM- 4:30PM

Click here for more information about registering. Make sure you ask about the grade option if you will use it on your course plan.

Time/Space to work on your thesis/dissertation

The Office of Graduate Studies is welcoming students to work on their thesis/dissertation in our conference room. During this time you can focus on writing and you can ask questions as they come up whether about formatting, completion, copyright, plagiarism, etc. This is in addition to the services offered by the Writing & Communication Lab (WCL). If you are looking for writing support the WCL would be a much better resource. Please see below.

Writing & Communication Lab (WCL)

This is a tutoring resource committed to helping students become better writers and communicators through tailored and individual consultations. Tutors are experienced in STEM writing and offer consultations both in person and online, to undergraduate and graduate students. These resources are also available to our Distance Students as well so please take advantage.

Find the service's descriptions by visiting the following link

https://www.nmt.edu/academics/class/center.php

Important Dates

April 27th

Spring 2026 - Completion Paperwork

For Spring graduation to be eligible to participate in Commencement and have your degree conferred at the end of Spring semester in the month of May

The completed report of the advisory committee, iThenticate report from academic advisor, and ProQuest submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be submitted by April 27th, 2026 to the Center for Graduate Studies or one final copy of an accepted independent study paper must be submitted to the student’s advisor and advisory committee. Please refer to the Completion Guideline on the CGS website.

Must submit your intent to graduate form prior to the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester.

Must submit your Diploma and Intent to Walk to the Registrar by March 2nd, 2026.

Student degrees are not complete until final materials have been approved by the Center for Graduate Studies and the student receives final acceptance via email from the ProQuest system. Students are encouraged to submit their thesis/dissertation drafts earlier to ensure that it will be accepted by the Registrar's deadline.

Scholarships and Other Opportunities

There are some Endowed scholarship opportunities open to graduate students, which are listed here on the Endowed Scholarship website. Native American graduate students should contact the Financial Aid Office for further information on additional scholarship opportunities (financial_aid@nmt.edu).

List of Scholarships from Outside Organizations

https://nmt.edu/finaid/outside_scholarships.php

Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA SSGF) - Jan. 13th, 2026 with an informational webinar set for Dec. 10, 2025- [Click for more info]

The Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) - Jan. 15, 2026 - Click for More Information

NM Women in Tech Awards Scholarship [click here for more info]

As part of the annual NM Women in Tech Awards, the New Mexico Technology Council will present one $2,500 scholarship to a woman interested in beginning or pursuing an education in tech or STEM fields in educational institutions based in New Mexico. Deadline: Jan 30, 2026.

INBRE NISE Summer Programs [click here for more info]

This 8-week, full-time summer research program caters to undergraduate students, offering three distinct tracks: Bootcamp, Internship, and Bioinformatics. These options provide excellent opportunities for students to network with peers from across New Mexico or RAIN institutions while honing their laboratory and research abilities. The culmination of this summer experience is a presentation of their research findings at a symposium held during the final week of the program. Students receive compensation $18 per hour (Full-Time) for their involvement. Deadline: Jan. 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m

LANL Foundation Launches Graduate Scholarship to Strengthen New Mexico’s National Security Workforce [click here for more info]

Beginning in Spring 2026, the scholarship will provide up to eight awards each year—totaling $10,000 per student, distributed over two years—to graduate students pursuing advanced degrees at New Mexico colleges and universities. Funding is guaranteed through 2028. Applicants may apply now through March 1, 2026.

NM Space Grant (https://nmspacegrant.nmsu.edu/)

- Student Competition Program: https://nmspacegrant.nmsu.edu/student-competition-program.html

- Student Travel Reimbursement: https://nmspacegrant.nmsu.edu/student-travel-grant.html

NSF NCAR Advanced Study Program (ASP) Graduate Visitor Program

NCUR 2026 is Now Accepting Abstract Submissions! [click here for more info]

To present at NCUR 2026, you must submit an abstract by the abstract deadline.