Ahmed named Goldwater Scholar

Maria Ahmed has been named a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholar. The recipients of these scholarships are second and third-year undergraduates from across the U.S. Ahmed is one of 441 awardees.

Maria Ahmed

Ahmed is an undergraduate at the University of Rochester majoring in biochemistry. Her career goals are to earn an M.D./Ph.D., conduct translational research in biomedical science and mentor the next generation of physician–scientists. Ahmed conducts research with American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology members Sina Ghaemmaghami, a professor of biology at UR, on methionine oxidation and protein translation. She is the president of the UR ASBMB Student Chapter. Ahmed is also mentored by ASBMB member Lea Michel, a professor of chemistry and material science at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Congress established the Goldwater Foundation in 1986 to honor the work of Sen. Barry Goldwater, who served the U.S. for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate. Each scholar receives up to $7,500 for tuition, fees, books and room and board each year until they graduate.

“I was surprised and overjoyed to hear that I was named a Goldwater Scholar,” Ahmed said in a UR press release. “Winning this honor was very important to me as it helped me see that my effort and dedication to research was finally recognized. Doing research and being in the lab has been a passion of mine since my first year of college.”