PHS Chemistry I and Accelerated Planetary Science teacher Shefali Mehta has worked to combine her curiosity for the cosmos and chemistry with a love for teaching throughout her career. Mehta was recently one of 30 educators selected to be part of the 2025 Space Foundation’s International Teacher Liaison program.

Mehta had always been interested in teaching in high school but tabled the idea after she decided to major in chemistry at the University of California, Irvine. However, after a couple of negative experiences in college, Mehta realized she couldn’t spend her entire life in the laboratory.

“We don’t always get the results we want, and I [didn’t] know [if] I want[ed] to work with such a small team all the time,” said Mehta. “I kind of thought back again with teaching; that way I could use the chemistry that I’ve learned and do more with it and hopefully inspire other people [with] chemistry.”

Mehta started her teaching career in California, where she taught physical science, chemistry, and environmental science. In 2013, she accepted a job offer at PHS after being drawn to the size of the school and the numerous electives PHS offers.

“Because there’s so much available [here], I’ve been able to grow as a teacher and try new things,” says Mehta. “I have more colleagues that I work with that [teach] the same classes that I teach, whereas before, I’ve been the only one ... and there was only so much stuff we could do with the curriculum.”

At PHS, Mehta has strived to create an environment that encourages curiosity and inquiry and where students are comfortable asking questions.

“Ms. Mehta is a teacher where you feel like you can really, if you have questions, you’re comfortable asking her, and you know that she’ll be able to give you a good answer. And if you still don’t understand it afterwards, she can really give a good explanation of the concept,” said Audrey Wang ’27, a student in Mehta’s chemistry class.

In addition to chemistry, Mehta has a deep interest in astronomy and research. In 2011, Mehta participated in the NASA Teacher Archive Research program, eventually leading to the opportunity to work with satellites for data collection.

“Last year I went to see a launch in Florida for a space satellite ... It was a GOES-U satellite that basically help[s] us track weather and things like that. And so I got access to some things from that ... I feel like now all of a sudden I’ve gotten new ways to access data that is being collected and that nobody’s really using,” said Mehta.

Mehta is also one of 30 recent admits to the Space Foundation International Teacher Liaisons—a program founded in 2004 that provides access to space-related curricula, networking opportunities, and connections to scientific institutions like NASA. This program was founded in order to empower teachers to integrate STEM into their curriculums and enrich students’ experiences in STEM classes.

“I get access to other curriculums that people have done and maybe make things more interesting,” said Mehta. “The last couple of years I’ve been looking at trying to … [do] projects where kids can actually do something that’s of interest to them.”

Even in her limited free time, Mehta continues to pursue her strong passion in science and cosmology, often as entertainment.

“I do enjoy reading, especially with science fiction and fantasy. When I can, I try to do that, but I don’t always get a lot of time. I really liked The Three-Body Problem,” said Mehta.