2025 Inspiring Graduate | Maya Shamsid-Deen

Some kids dream of being astronauts or imagine themselves as the next President of the United States, but Maya Shamsid-Deen knew early on that her path was always a little greener. In a world full of weeds, she grew a love for plants-all of them.

"Biology has always been a passion of mine," Shamsid-Deen said. "My mom likes to tell this story about how I used to hug trees as a kid."

That childhood curiosity blossomed into a beautiful academic career. For the last 12 years, she has been planting ideas, growing knowledge, and digging deep into research at The University of New Mexico, where she will soon walk across the stage with her Ph.D. in Biology, officially becoming Dr. Maya Shamsid-Deen.

"I don't know if it's sunk in yet, there's been a lot of emotions that have come up, because when you get towards the end you're putting everything together, you're writing your dissertation, there is a lot of reflection that happens on your work, on your experience," she said.

Shamid-Deen, a born-and-raised New Mexican and Cibola High School graduate, began her higher education journey at the University of Alabama, where she earned her undergraduate degree in biology in 2017. There, she had a unique opportunity to study algae, which inspired her to pursue additional degrees, earning her master's in biology at Northern Arizona University in 2019 and then returning home to UNM, where she achieved her Ph.D. after six years in the program.

"It wasn't until I got more exposure and I went away that I was able to appreciate the ways New Mexico and The University of New Mexico are unique, special, rich, soulful," she said.

While at UNM, she studied plant colonization, exploring how plants cope with climate change and adapt to new environments. Shamsid-Deen demonstrated for the first time that symbiosis, or the relationship between fungi and plants, preserves genetic diversity over time.

"I had experiments that failed, like any scientist, and so you repeat things, you do things a little differently, you keep learning until you get the answers, and then you can write it all up at the end in your dissertation," she said.

With a natural love for biology, she initially planted the idea of becoming a medical doctor; however, it wasn't until she delved into research that she discovered her passion. Shamsid-Deen hopes to utilize her new title as a teaching professor to nurture the next generation of scientists.

"I absolutely love teaching, and I have had wonderful experiences here, especially through the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and grown as an instructor," she said. "You get to share your leverage and knowledge about Biology to help teach someone else, and then you get to see them become excited about something new."

Between coding and experimenting with plants in the greenhouse, Shamsid-Deen managed to branch out into extracurricular activities such as the Project for New Mexico Graduate Students of Color (PNMGC), where she was both a mentee and a mentor to students, as well as the immediate past president of the Albuquerque graduate chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. She also served as a council member for the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) and as President of the Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA).

"We have a really strong biology graduate community," she said. "The biology grad students are top notch, and I'm obviously not being paid to say that, but our grad students are awesome, I have learned so much from them."

Shamsid-Deen says she couldn't have done the last decade without her family's deep-rooted support and the newest sprout in her life, her 10-month-old son, Omari Shamsid-Deen.

"We have been on a really beautiful journey together, like, he's definitely sat in my wrap while I am typing. He is my absolute joy, I can't tell you enough how happy I am that I have him," she said. "I feel humbled to share the natural world with him in the way that I can."

Shamsid-Deen says that early on with her mother's strong emphasis on education combined with the nurturing influence of her grandmother, a dedicated elementary school teacher, who firmly planted the seeds of good values and a strong work ethic, she wouldn't be walking across the stage this year as a doctor with a green thumb for discovery.