Maya Pathuri

she/her

Chemistry, B.S. with a minor in Spanish, 2019

Maya Pathuri graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Chemistry, where she conducted undergraduate research in Professor Alex Spokoyny’s laboratory. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University, where her research focused on structure–property relationships in inorganic systems. In July 2026, she returned to UCLA as a Teacher-Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, where she teaches undergraduate chemistry while conducting research in Professor Justin Caram’s laboratory. As both a UCLA alumna and educator, Maya is passionate about making science accessible and helping students build confidence in STEM. She believes that success in college is not about having all the answers from day one, but about embracing curiosity, asking questions, and taking advantage of the many opportunities UCLA has to offer. She enjoys mentoring students, exploring evidence-based teaching practices, and communicating science to broad audiences.