Shahla Mukhtar ’24 says she is driven by a curiosity to understand the mechanisms that sustain biological function and often play pivotal roles in the production of the medical compounds so many of us depend on. At Haverford, that interest was intensified under the tutelage of her thesis advisor, Professor of Chemistry Lou Charkoudian, who encouraged Mukhtar to ask questions and engage independently with her lab’s work as Mukhtar developed her thesis.
“I am so grateful for her guidance and support that allowed me to problem-solve, generate new ideas, and cultivate a growth mindset as I developed as a scientist,” says Mukhtar, a chemistry major. “This environment enabled me to foster my curiosity and unique background in computational chemistry work to shape my research approaches, enhancing the understanding of our proteins of interest.”
Mukhtar’s work, titled “Characterizing Activation and Acylation Abilities of Diverse Non-Actinobacterial Acyl Carrier Proteins in Type II Synthases,” is focused on the production of type II polyketides, diverse and chemically active natural products that hold promise as anticancer and antibacterial agents. Currently, Mukhtar says, they are the basis for approximately 20% of the most common therapeutics in use today and hopes her research will provide a pathway for the further exploration of their potential.
In Charkoudian’s lab, Mukhtar says she was able to leverage nature’s systems to probe new routes for the production of novel natural products. The experience, she says, shed light on the intricate mechanisms through which plants, bacteria, and fungi produce vital molecules. Her work in the collaborative Superlab with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Clyde Daly also earned Mukhtar co-authorship on “Engineered Chimeras Unveil Swappable Modular Features of Fatty Acid and Polyketide Synthase Acyl Carrier Proteins,” which was published in February 2022 in the American Chemical Society journal Biochemistry.
For Mukhtar, completing her thesis demonstrated to her the need to be adaptable when conducting research because, she says, biological systems can be unpredictable or results can lead to unexpected new directions. Throughout her thesis experience, Mukhtar says, she was supported by her lab peers and sought to replicate that relationship by becoming a mentor for the lab’s incoming students.
“My lab teammates have been so crucial in building a solid foundation for my thesis by fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual learning,” she says. “In an effort to add to this supportive environment, I was inspired to make research a bit less intimidating for incoming lab members through mentorship.”