Graduate Students
Polina Abratenko
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
Hagar Abualazm
Omar Alterkait
Nathan Brodeur
George Carson
Alex Cassem
Areas of Study: High Energy Theory, Cosmology, String Theory
I am a PhD student at Tufts University. I graduated from Winona State University (MN) in 2022 with BS degrees in Mathematics and Physics. My undergraduate thesis was on Brans-Dicke Cosmology, and I completed two REU's in holography and the Swampland, both at Lehigh University (PA). Currently, I am working with Prof. Mark Hertzberg on gravitational wave constraints on higher order curvature corrections to gravity.
Subham Chakraborty
Tianyi Chen
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
I am a graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. I received my undergraduate degrees in physics from the University of Michigan. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted research on the muon spectrometer in the ATLAS experiment under the guidance of Professor Bing Zhou and Professor Edward Diehl, focusing on spatial resolution of the muon chambers. In my free time, I like playing the guitar and singing.
Natasha Ciboulet
Areas of Study: Cosmology
I am a first-year master's student studying Physics at Tufts. My research interest is in early universe cosmology and theoretical modeling, with a focus on cosmic inflation. Previously, I received my B.S. in Astronomy from the University of Washington where I worked on N-body simulations that modeled planetesimal accretion. Outside of academics, I am dedicated to making STEM more approachable and accessible.
T.J. Colvin
Area of Study: Quantum Information and Quantum Computing
I received my master's degree in physics from Wake Forest University, where I conducted research in the area of computational biophysics. I am excited about the recent developments in quantum computing and look forward to applying novel algorithms to problems in physics.
Nathan Craig
Vinicius Da Silva
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
I am a PhD student working with Taritree Wongjirad and I am interested in exploring the intersection between Neutrino Physics and novel computational methods such as Machine Learning. I received my BS degree from Yale University where I researched Higgs Boson decays as part of the ATLAS collaboration. I am currently working on the simulation of cosmic rays for the COHERENT collaboration’s liquid argon detector.
Ian Descamps
George Fanaras
Areas of Study: Cosmology and Quantum Gravity
I am a first-year graduate student at Tufts. My research interests are in the field of cosmology and quantum gravity. In my undergraduate studies at AUTh I worked on the modification of gravity with torsion. Currently, I am involved in a project of 2D quantum gravity with Professor Vilenkin.
Emmanuel Flores
Area of Study: Condensed Matter Physics
I am a first-year PhD student at Tufts University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. My primary research area is soft condensed matter, specifically focusing on liquid crystals and active nematics, with an emphasis on numerical methods, particularly finite elements. I am proficient in Python and Julia, and currently learning Go, C, C++, and Rust. Moreover, I am interested in differential geometry, differential forms, machine learning, and various other mathematical topics. Actively learning new concepts, I hope to incorporate them into my research in the near future.
Veritas Gassmann
Area of Study: Cosmology / High Energy Physics
Olivia Gaunt
Area of Study: Astrophysics
I am a graduate student on the Astrophysics track, and am interested in observational techniques, large scale surveys, and big, bright, and/or distant objects in our universe. Beyond physics, I love to study foreign languages (especially Mandarin, Arabic, and Russian) and music. I am happy to speak with prospective students, so please reach out!
Carter Mulford Gustin
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
I am a fourth year Ph.D. student studying quantum simulation of renormalized quantum field theories with Professors Goldstein and Love. I completed my undergraduate degree at Syracuse University.
Joanna Halfhill
Area of Study: GNSS/Signals Processing
Joanna Halfhill is a Physics Masters student from Mansfield, Ohio. An officer in the US Army Signal Corps, she is furthering her research in assured position, navigation, and timing at Tufts as a Draper Scholar. Joanna completed her Bachelor of Science in Physics at the United States Military Academy, where she researched midlatitude ionospheric dynamics and their associated GPS effects. As a cadet at West Point, she captained the Army Women's Cross Country and Track & Field teams, becoming a school record holder in two track events.
Zev Imani
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
I'm a PhD student working with Prof. Taritree Wongjirad and an IAIFI member. My interests lie in the intersection of machine learning and neutrino physics. My research so far has focused on developing generative models for particle detector images. I will be actively involved in the SBND experiment commissioning and reconstruction model.
Ben Johnson
Amanda Karis
Tess Kleanthous
Area of Study: Astrophysics
I am a graduate student pursuing an MS in Physics with a focus on Astrophysics. Before attending Tufts, I earned a BS in Engineering Physics and a Certificate in Computational Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. After completing my undergraduate studies, I worked for a year in systems and software engineering in the space industry. Currently, my research interests lie in celestial mechanics and exoplanetary studies. Outside of school, I enjoy studying different languages and painting.
Meg Kralj
Area of Study: Theoretical Particle - Cosmology
I received my undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I worked at the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics on string theory, SUGRA, and SUSY based inflationary models. My current research under Prof. Ken Olum is on cosmic strings, while I’m also doing work involving bubble nucleation under Prof. David Kaiser at MIT. In the future, I wish to learn more about cosmic strings, as well as topics such as black hole evaporation, holography, and dark matter.
Udathari Kumarasinghe
Areas of Study: Biophysics/Condensed Matter Physics
I graduated from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where I worked on the electrospinning of PVDF for piezoelectric applications. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student conducting experimental biophysics research, integrating principles of materials science and cellular biomechanics.
Viviane Kuss
I am a PhD student in astrophysics at Tufts. I completed my BSc and MSc at ETH Zurich and now work with Professor David Martin on exoplanets and planetary systems.
Valentina La Torre
Area of Study: Astronomy
Jason Lau
Area of Study: Astrophysics
When I was studying engineering in college, I used to dread physics. But after exploring various fields of study over the years, I've come to realize that physics is now my favorite subject. I'm excited to learn about the ongoing research at Tufts. In my free time, I enjoy reading nonfiction, traveling (50+ countries so far), and doing DIY renovations on the house.
Jamie Lin
Area of Study: Astronomy
I am a 4th year PhD student working with Prof. Danilo Marchesini. I received my undergraduate degree in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley, where I participated in research projects including optics, cosmology, and galaxy formation and evolution. My current research focuses on studying high redshift quiescent galaxies with JWST to understand early galaxy formation and quenching mechanism. In my free time, I enjoy working-out, reading, and discovering new music and movies.
Claire Lundy
Area of study: Experimental High Energy Physics
I am a 1st year PhD student working in experimental high energy physics. I received my BS from University of Michigan with a major in physics and minor in French and Francophone studies. During my time there, I worked with the Mu2e, CMS, and ATLAS in firmware and hardware design. After receiving my undergraduate degree, I worked as a post-bacc at Michigan State University researching dark matter with the HAWC Observatory.
Michael Miranda
Aidan Morehouse
Richard Pan
Area of Study: Astronomy
I am a first year graduate student currently working with Prof. Marchesini to study galaxy evolution. In the past I have worked on a wide range of projects from machine-learning classification of dusty stars, to observational mapping of the IGM lyman alpha forest tomography, and to building instruments such as a spectrophotometer for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at JPL.
Kesha Patel
Area of study: Astrophysics
I am a first-year master’s student interested in galaxy formation. I graduated from Emory University, where my research involved developing 2D image decompositions of lenticular galaxies. I have also analyzed AGN emission lines as part of my REU at Georgia State University. In my free time, I enjoy crocheting and playing frisbee.
Atharva Patki
Camila Pazos
Veronica Pratt
Area of Study: Astrophysics
I am a PhD student in Astrophysics interested in studying galaxies and galaxy evolution! Prior to Tufts, I graduated from Stanford in 2023 with a BS in Physics and BA in Classics-Latin. So far, my research at Tufts has focused on investigating Little Red Dots in JWST data. Outside of Physics, I love to play classical music and soccer!
Feng Qian
Jack Reed
Jason Reeves
I'm a research assistant in the department spending time in various areas of research. Currently I'm working in the fields of AGN demographics, massive quiescent galaxies, and stellar flare detection. I'm a double Jumbo having received my BS and MS in astrophysics at Tufts University.
Luke Robbins
Area of Study: Astrophysics
I am a first-year graduate student at Tufts. I received undergraduate degrees in astronomy and origins science from Case Western Reserve University. While I was there, I worked with scaling relations for rotationally supported galaxies. My current research interests are dark matter halos in the context of galaxy formation/evolution and large scale structure/cosmology. When I have free time I like to collect records, play guitar, run and backpack.
Stephen Sabbey
William Simon
Area of Study: Quantum Computing
I am a graduate student researching how to bridge theory and application of quantum algorithms on noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. I completed my undergraduate studies also at Tufts in chemical physics with a minor in computer science. Additionally, I am passionate about leveraging quantum computing research to mitigate climate change and expanding access to STEM education.
Rebecca Sipen
Area of Study: Condensed Matter Physics
I am a PhD student with an interest in experimental biophysics. I graduated with my BS in Physics from California State University, Northridge where I did research on light propagation in DNA suspensions utilizing nonlinear optics. In my free time, I enjoy baking, playing bass, and trying new crafts!
Becca Spejcher
Area of Study: Astronomy
I’m a first-year master’s student studying astrophysics. I graduated in 2024 with a bachelors in astronomy and a minor in mathematics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ! I have spent the last three years doing research on Luminous Blue Variable stars with TESS, but I hope to pursue a career in planetary science. Outside of school, I am a huge theatre nerd and do community theatre whenever I get the chance!
Alize Sucsuzer
Area of Study: Cosmology
I am a first-year PhD student interested in the intersection of cosmology and particle physics, in particular, dark matter particles and early universe cosmology. I received my BS in Physics from Bridgewater State University, where I worked on an introductory survey of QFT focused on scalar fields and gravitational lensing research. My interest in STEM Outreach began while working on the BSU Observatory Outreach team!
Cullen Sullivan
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
I'm a PhD student and a member of the NOvA Collaboration performing long baseline neutrino oscillation measurements. At Indiana University Bloomington I studied chemistry and physics. Getting started with NOvA there, I designed a new selection for low energy electron neutrinos to improve sensitivity to the mass ordering. Now at Tufts, my research focuses on an improved method to understand and implement constraints on NOvA systematic uncertainties in the context of an oscillation measurement.
Vladyslav Syrotenko
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
PhD student in high energy physics, MSc My thesis research is based on data from MINERvA neutrino experiment, Fermilab. I have strong interests and background in theoretical physics, mathematics, programming, STEM education.
Devendra Timsina
Area of Study: Condensed Matter Physics
I'm a Ph.D. student focusing on condensed matter physics, with an interest in machine learning and computational physics as well. I earned my M.S. degree from Tribhuvan University in Nepal.
Gabriella Toryk
Area of Study: Cosmology
I am a first-year graduate student interested in theoretical cosmology and particle physics. I graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a BS in Physics and a minor in Astronomy. There, I studied atom-photon entanglement in a single-chirped multimode cavity. My current research interests include (but are not limited to) early universe cosmology, brane cosmology, and matter-antimatter asymmetry. I also love to run, surf, volunteer with animal rescues, and bake!
Wata Tubthong
Area of Study: Astrophysics
I got my BS Degrees in Physics and Humanities from MIT in 2021. My prior research experience is in planetary sciences and computer modelling. I am now a first-year PhD student with research interests in galactic astrophysics.
Miguel Vasquez-Vega
Area of Study: Physics Education
My research is on learning, teaching, and students' motivation in intro college physics courses. Specifically, I'm studying how an "ungraded/unscored" intro physics class impacts students' ability to make sense of the world around them, compared to those in a very similar active learning environment where scores were assigned throughout the course. Teaching is my happy place!
Samuel Venetianer
Area of Study: High Energy Physics
I am PhD student in high energy physics working on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Prior to coming to Tufts, I received my Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Northwestern, worked in the automotive industry, and researched vibrational impacts to particle physics detectors at the University of Michigan. Outside of physics I enjoy reading, cooking, and playing guitar.
Edgar Vidal
Area of study: Astrophysics
I am a PhD student working with Professor Anna Sajina on galaxy evolution. I received my B.A. in Physics and Astrophysics from UC Berkeley, where I worked on Type Ia supernovae under Professor Alex Filippenko. My research focuses on modeling dust emission in galaxy formation models and comparing the results with JWST MIRI data, with a particular interest on AGN. I also work on simulation-based inference for supernova science using flow-based generative models. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, working out, and discovering new music!