Megha Khandelwal

Megha Khandelwal serves as Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT), where she also directs the STEM Education Center. Her academic career spans roles in both chemistry research and educational outreach, with a focus on STEM learning enhancement and molecular biology.

• Ph.D. in Chemistry and Molecular Biology, New Mexico State University (2013)
• M.S. in Industrial Microbiology, Devi Ahilya University, India (2005)
• B.S. in Microbiology and Chemistry, Devi Ahilya University, India (2003)
• Secondary Teacher License, State of Texas (2015)

Her research interests bridge discipline-based education research to improve STEM learning outcomes and molecular mechanisms of microbial stress responses. She actively develops computational tools to engage students in STEM while investigating antibiotic resistance pathways.

Recent publications demonstrate expertise in photodynamic antimicrobial therapy, synthetic lethality in molecular biology, and pandemic-era educational research. Her work has been funded by federal grants including two US Department of Education Upward Bound projects and a NM Higher Education Department endowment.

• NM Higher Education Department $5 Million Endowment for STEM Education Center (2022)