Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and holder of the Garey Endowed Chair in Chemistry Maha Zewail-Foote presented at the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality in Education’s International Forum on World Quality Day. Her presentation, “Thinking Differently about Quality: Curiosity, Connection, and the Future of Learning,” explored how mentorship, inclusivity, and human-centered teaching can advance educational quality and innovation. Addressing an international audience of education leaders and policymakers, Dr. Zewail-Foote reflected on the power of curiosity and compassion in shaping the future of global education and advancing equitable, high-quality learning experiences.

Professor and Garey Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry Maha Zewail-Foote is the first author of a landmark publication in Nucleic Acids Research, a top journal in the field showcasing leading edge research. This publication, “Oxidative damage within alternative DNA structures results in aberrant mutagenic processing,” is the result of years of dedicated work and marks a major scholarly milestone. Conducted in collaboration with a research team at UT Austin, this work demonstrates that certain DNA structures are particularly susceptible to damage, contributing to genetic instability — a key factor in diseases like cancer.

Professor of Biochemistry and Garey Chair of Chemistry Maha Zewail-Foote gave an oral presentation for a special session on mechanisms of genomic repair and mutagenesis at the Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Waco, TX. Her presentation highlighted research conducted during her sabbatical, in collaboration with researchers at UT Austin.

Garey Chair and Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry Maha Zewail-Foote co-authored a paper in a top journal, Briefings in Bioinformatics.She and her co-authors showed that DNA damage is localized within cancer-forming sequences across the human genome. This multidisciplinary research involved a unique collaboration with UT Austin professors in various disciplines.

Professor of Biochemistry and Garey Chair of Chemistry Maha Zewail-Foote presented “Biological and molecular consequences of oxidative damage on non-B DNA-induced genetic instability” at the 2024 American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology National Meeting.