Dr. Mahwish Arshad

Dr. Mahwish Arshad completed her M.Sc. and M.Phil. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, where she specialized in organic and synthetic dyes. She gained early industrial experience through a three-month internship at Klash Textiles, Faisalabad, where she integrated research with practical applications in the textile sector.

She earned her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Government College University, Faisalabad, under the supervision of Dr. Nasir Rasool. Her doctoral research focused on transition metal-catalyzed organic synthesis, including cross-coupling reactions, cyclization, and asymmetric catalysis. She developed functionalized quinoline derivatives via accessible and cost-effective methods, employing copper- and palladium-catalyzed Chan–Lam and Suzuki coupling reactions. Complementing her synthetic expertise, she conducted DFT (Density Functional Theory) studies, biological activity evaluation, and molecular docking analyses to explore structure–activity relationships.

Supported by a scholarship, Dr. Mahwish completed part of her Ph.D. research at the University of Pennsylvania in Prof. Gary Molander’s laboratory. There, she worked on DNA-encoded library (DEL) synthesis, photocatalyzed reactions on DNA, and C–H activation of cyclic compounds, gaining expertise at the interface of organic synthesis and chemical biology.

Currently, she is engaged as a collaborative scientist at GICBES and has served as a research scholar in Prof. Virgil Percec’s group (Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Drew Weissman’s group (2023 Nobel Laureate, Department of Infectious Diseases, Penn Medicine). Her recent research focuses on the co-assembly of IAJDs with mRNA into dendrimersome nanoparticles (DNPs) and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for targeted mRNA delivery, in collaboration with Pfizer.

Driven by a passion for advancing healthcare through chemistry, Dr. Mahwish’s career goal is to develop innovative synthetic methods and pharmaceutically relevant compounds that contribute to improving global health. Her diverse background across academia and industry has strengthened her ability to adapt, acquire new skills, and thrive in collaborative, problem-solving research environments.