Breaking new ground in chemistry research
During her time at Mount Holyoke College, senior Mahira Mim ’26 has become a chemistry powerhouse thanks to the mentoring she received and the community that supported her.
As a first-generation college student, Mahira Mim ’26 felt that attending Mount Holyoke College was a huge leap forward in her life. It was her first time leaving her home country, Bangladesh, and she was the first member of her family to do so.
“From [my] first year to now, I grew up into an independent person, and that whole experience took place at Mount Holyoke,” Mim said. “It was a turning point in my life.”
Before she arrived at the College, Mim was paired with alum Jillian Amaral ’94 through the MHC Pairing Project. Amaral also introduced Mim to Elizabeth Eyler ’94. Together, they helped Mim navigate her college experience from the very beginning.
“I was totally clueless about what to buy for my room,” Mim explained. “[Amaral] helped me with shopping and connected me to [Eyler] and a senior on campus, who helped familiarize me with dining, laundry, the library and finding academic buildings. They celebrated my birthday every year, took me apple picking, invited me to their homes during Thanksgiving, and helped me feel closer to the culture and community here.”
The Fearless First Academy pre-orientation program for first-generation students was an early resource. Mim is especially grateful to Latrina Denson, associate dean of students and executive director of community and belonging, for her support.
“[Denson] offered unwavering support during some of the most critical moments of my college journey,” Mim said.
With the help of her academic advising team, Mim decided to make chemistry her major. As a result, Marilyn Dawson Sarles, M.D. Professor of Life Sciences and Professor of Chemistry Wei Chen was a vital mentor for Mim from her first chemistry class.
“I loved the experience with her in Chemistry 160,” Mim said. “It helped me decide to pursue chemistry and material sciences further. She helped me find my career path and plan for graduate school.”
Mim joined Chen’s lab as a research assistant in January 2023, where she still conducts research on surface modification using polymer thin films. These polymers have applications in drug delivery, cosmetics and electronics, and she hopes to fill a research gap in the influence of substrate hydrophobicity, mobility, interfacial forces and hydrogen bonding on their stability.
Mim spent the summer of 2025 in West Lafayette, Indiana, at Purdue University as an undergraduate research fellow at the lab of Jeffrey Youngblood, a professor of materials engineering and an American Chemical Society POLY Fellow.
“I used my chemistry skills to help engineers synthesize materials,” Mim continued. “I experienced the life of a graduate student, and that exposure helped me figure out [my] next steps. It was a pivotal moment and guided me through the skill set I need as a researcher.”
Besides contributing to her group’s recent peer-reviewed publication, Mim is now developing her primary research on polymer surface modification, which is expected to be published this summer. Her milestones already include the College’s Louisa Stone Stevenson Prize for excellence in chemistry and the Anna Jane Harrison Best Poster Award at the American Chemical Society Connecticut Valley Section’s Spring 2025 conference.
“I recommend that students go to professional conferences to broaden their exposure to potential future career paths,” Mim said.
Mim’s research interests are reflected in her participation in student organizations. She served on the Board of Precious Plastic, and she completed an independent study as the club’s chemist to determine which recycled plastics were appropriate for project use.
Mim also participated in cultural organizations, serving as social media coordinator for Bondhu, which celebrates and promotes Bangladeshi culture. She felt a special connection with her Korean language professor, which prompted her to join the Korean Students Association, where she served as design coordinator.
Mim has worked as a library circulation assistant throughout her time at the College, and she finds interacting with students and faculty in this role an unexpected source of encouragement.
Going forward, Mim is committed to pursuing her Ph.D. in the Polymer Science and Engineering program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She believes that the leadership and advising skills she developed at Mount Holyoke as a teaching assistant and as a chemistry PLUMS (Peer-Led Undergraduate Mentoring System) mentor will serve her well as she moves into her next chapter.
“Long term, I want to use this skill set,” Mim said. “I love the role of advising [people] and helping my classmates find their own way. My journey has taught me that challenges can be transformed into opportunities to create meaningful impact, and down the road, I want to stick to academia, where I can guide others [in] my field of expertise.”
