Graduate Alumni

Class of 2023

Prajita Bhattarai
Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD Thesis Title: Standard Model Precision Measurements with two Z bosons and two jets in ATLAS
Francesca Capocasa
Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD Thesis Title: Building the ATLAS ITk Strip detector: a journey from sensors to multi-module staves
Gess Kelly
Advisor: Thomas Fai
PhD Thesis Title: Computational Models for Fluid-Structure Interaction of Passive and Active Suspensions in Microfluidic Networks
Bibi Najma
Advisor: Guillaume Duclos
PhD Thesis Title: Investigation of the emergent behaviors in biomimetic active matter   

 

Aldric Rosario
Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD Thesis Title: Length control, fluctuations, and scaling of actin structures in cells 

Class of 2022

Jiayi Chen
Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD Thesis Title: Probing new physics in the vector boson fusion production of Higgs bosons
Pooja Chandraker
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: Microtubule-based Active Matter: Controlling Microscopic Properties and Characterizing Instabilities
Huang Fang
Advisor: Ben Rogers
PhD Thesis Title: Exploring thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic pathways of colloidal self-assembly
Alastair Grant-Stuart
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: Categorical structures in algebraic quantum field theory
Alexander Hensley
Advisor: Ben Rogers
PhD Thesis Title: Self-Assembly of Colloidal Crystals from DNA Coated Colloids
Jonathan Harper
Advisor: Matthew Headrick and Albion Lawrence
PhD Thesis Title: Applications of convex optimization to multipartite entanglement in holography
Chaitanya Joshi
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: Computational and data-driven studies of active nematics
Linnea Lemma
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: Statistical Properties and Optogenetic Control of Active Turbulence
Jishnu Nampoothiri
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: A tensor gauge theory framework for elasticity in jammed solids
Matthew Peterson
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: Active filaments in and out of confinement
Zach Schillaci
Advisor:
PhD Thesis Title: Precision measurements of four-lepton production in 13 TeV proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS detector
Debora Tenebaum
Advisor: Jane Kondev and Jeff Gelles
PhD Thesis Title: Transcriptional Coupling of Neighboring Operons in Bacteria

Class of 2021

David Dodsworth
Advisor: Craig Blocker
PhD Thesis Title: Search for Supersysmmetric Pseudo_Goldstini at √(s) = 13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector
Ian Hunter
Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD Thesis Title: Controlling Pattern Formation in Complex Networks
Kevin  Li
Advisors: James Haber/Jané Kondev
PhD Thesis Title: Yeast ATM and ATR use Different Mechanisms to Spread Histone H2A Phosphorylation Around a DNA Double-Strand Break
Maria Eleni Moustaka
Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD Thesis Title: Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics of Three Coupled Chemical Oscillators
Joanna Robaszewski
Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD Thesis Title: Structural Transitions of Colloidal Membranes in One, Two and Three Dimensions
James Sheehy
Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD Thesis Title: Belousov-Zhabotinsky Oscillators in Polydimethylsiloxane Microfluidic Devices

Class of 2020

S Ali Aghvami

Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD thesis Title: Techniques in Self-assembly of Biopolymer Particles

Laura Bergsten

Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD thesis Title: Measurement of the vector boson fusion production Higgs boson fiducial cross-section observed in the WW*→lvlv decay channel with the ATLAS detector

Hannah Herde
Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD thesis Title: Measuring the mass of the Higgs boson in the four-lepton final state with the ATLAS detector
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, SLAC National Accelerator Lab
Janna Lowensohn
Advisor: Benjamin Rogers 
PhD thesis Title: Linker-Mediated Self-Assembly of DNA-Coated Colloids
Farri Mohajerani
Advisor: Michael Hagan
PhD thesis Title: Simulations of cargo-encapsulation by self-assembling icosahedral shells
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Brandeis MRSEC
Andrew Rolph
Advisors: Albion Lawrence/Matthew Headrick
PhD thesis Title: TTbar deformations and entanglement entropy in AdS/CFT
Caleb Wagner
Advisor: Aparna Baskaran
PhD thesis Title: Mathematics of nonequilibrium steady states in dilute active matter
Current position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Nebraska

Class of 2019

Gabriel Bronk
Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Mathematical Modeling of Histone Modification Spreading During the Repair of DNA Double-Strand Breaks
David Harbage
Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Models of protein filament length regulation
Joia Miller
Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD thesis title: Rafts in Colloidal Membranes: The Role of Rod Chirality and Length in Monolayer Phase Separation
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgetown University
Joseph Rauch

Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Interplay between ecology and evolution in microbial communities engaged in a public goods game
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, The Climate Foundation, Woods Hole, MA

Jetin Thomas
Advisor: Bulbul Chakraborty
PhD thesis title: Statistical physics approach to discontinuous shear thickening (DST)

Class of 2018

Andrew Balchunas

Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD thesis title: Quantifying the Bending Modulus and Gaussian Curvature Modulus of Self-Assembled Colloidal Membranes
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Matthew Chamberlain

Advisor: Jeff Gelles
PhD thesis title: Non-equilibrium Regulation of DNA Transcription
Current position: Computational Systems Immunologist, Sanofi, Cambridge, MA

Daniel Goldstein

Advisor: Bulbul Chakraborty
PhD thesis title: Active Plasticity and Control of Chemical Oscillators: Stepping Stones to Soft Machines
Current Position: MathWorks, Natick, MA

Benjamin Hancock
Advisor: Aparna Baskaran
PhD thesis title:  Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics of Self-propelled Particles
Current Position: Senior Systems Engineer, Raytheon
Mahsa Siavashpouri

Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
Current Position: Cambridge, MA
Current Position: Scientist, PhAST Diagnostics Corp., Cambridge, MA

Class of 2017

Cesar Agon

Advisor: Albion Lawrence
PhD thesis title: Entanglement in Quantum Field Theory and Holography
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Stony Brook University, Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics

Camille Girabawe

Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD thesis title: Synchronization in Pairs of Chemical Oscillators
Current Position: Software Engineer/Software Analyst, Academic Merit

Feodor Hilitski

Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD thesis title: Probing Cytoskeletal Assemblies with Optical Traps
Current Position: Internal Consultant, Ab Initio

Bernard Hishamunda

Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD thesis title: Dynamics of Bulk and Confined Microtubule Active Gels
Current Position: Consultant, IBM

Elias Putzig

Advisor: Aparna Baskaran
PhD thesis title: An Exploration of the Phases and Structure Formation in Active Nematic Materials Using an Overdamped Continuum Theory
Current position: Quantitative Researcher, Fortstone Research

Walter Schwenger

Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD thesis title: Polymorphism in Bacterial Flagella Suspensions
Current Position: Scientist, Deviceology, Sanofi-Genzyme

Class of 2016

Glenn Amundsen

Advisor: Craig Blocker
PhD thesis title: Search for Excited Muons Decaying via a Contact Interaction in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the ATLAS Detector
Current Position: Data Scientist, Royal Mail

Louis Bianchini

Advisor: Craig Blocker
PhD thesis title: A Search for a Left-Right Symmetric Model with the ATLAS Detector
Current Position: Sr. Software Engineer, Autodesk

Stephen DeCamp

Advisor: Zvonimir Dogic
PhD thesis title: Dynamics of Active Nematic Liquid Crystals
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Bernie Gabin

Advisor: John Wardle
PhD thesis title: BCI Development to Facilitate Neural Navigation Tasks

Timothy Harden

Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Single Molecule Studies of Bacterial RNA Polymerase Dynamics
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School

Lishibanya Mohapatra

Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Biophysical Models of Length Control of Cytoskeletal Structures
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Brandeis University

Achini Opathalage

Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD thesis title: X-ray Transparent Microfluidics For Protein Crystalization and Biomeneralization
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Sgro Lab at Boston University

Cong Qiao

Advisor: Michael Hagan
PhD thesis title: Simulations of Curved Assemblies in Soft Matter and Biological Systems
Current Position: Software Engineer, 2Sigma Financial

Gabriel Redner

Advisor: Michael Hagan
PhD thesis title: Phase transitions in Model Active Systems
Current Position: Software Engineer, Google

Sumantra Sarkar

Advisor: Bulbul Chakraborty
PhD thesis title: Origin of Rigidity in Athermal Materials
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Alessio Venturini

Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD thesis title: Searching for Dark Matter in the Mono-jet Channel with the ATLAS Detector
Current Position: Data Scientist, lastminute.com

Class of 2015

Baris Avsaroglu

Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Functional Chromosome Organization in Yeast
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Denburg Lab University of California, Berkeley

Sandeep Choubey

Advisor: Jané Kondev
PhD thesis title: Biophysical Models of Transcription in Cells
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University

Ning Li

Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD thesis title: Nonlinear chemical Dynamics and Synchronization
Current Position: Research Scientist, GNS Healthcare, Cambridge, MA

Nathan Tompkins

Advisor: Seth Fraden
PhD thesis title: Synchornization Dynamics of Coupled Chemical Oscillators
Current Position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN

Stefano Zambito

Advisor: Gabriella Sciolla
PhD thesis title: Measurement of the Higgs Boson Production and Couplings in the Four-Lepton Decay Channel with the ATLAS Detector
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University (based at CERN)