TGP Student Spotlights

15 Home Programs, 100+ Students, These are just a few of our Stories

Arjun Garapaty

Program: Chemistry & Chemical Biology

Hometown: Overland Park, KS, USA

PI(s): Brian Liau

I was raised in Overland Park, Kansas, by a big family with deep roots in entrepreneurialism and community. As a result, my passion for science has grown in parallel with my appreciation for leadership and communication. After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2025 with a B.S. in Chemical Biology, I decided to pursue graduate studies at Harvard Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB).

At Harvard, I’m bridging genomics and small molecules to interrogate protein structure and reprogram key interactions. Proteins are labeled “undruggable” when they don’t possess binding pockets amenable to small molecule action. As chemical biologists, this challenge calls on us to innovate new therapeutic modalities to “drug the undruggable”. I look forward to pursuing projects related to targeted protein degradation (TPD) and cryptic pocket discovery.

Through practical coursework and a one-of-a-kind network of scientific innovators, the TGP enables me to appreciate my research from a broader therapeutic standpoint. I’m learning to bridge basic science discovery with principles of drug development and commercialization. I’m also learning that breakthrough discoveries made in academic labs require critical funding and guidance before they can become real-world therapies. With my interests in therapeutics, science communication, and business, my long-term goal is to work in VC, business development, or consulting specializing in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. I hope to fund and advise emerging biotech companies that disrupt entrenched players and put patient benefit first.

Outside of lab I enjoy all things sports: I play soccer, basketball, and flag football. I have fun spending time with friends and family, whether that’s exploring new restaurants in Boston, traveling, or watching NFL Redzone (go Chiefs!). A fun fact about me is that I play competitive table tennis!

Amerria Causey

Program: Virology

Hometown: Hollandale, MD, USA

PI(s): James DeCaprio

I am a Mississippi native taking on the big city! My hometown has a population of less than 2,000 people. My small-town upbringing has made me eternally grateful for community. To list some things that inform the person that I am; I am Black, I am Queer, I am Fierce, and I love Science.

My research lies in the intersection of the vaginal microbiome and Herpes Simplex virology. The human vaginal microbiome is commonly characterized by an abundance of bacteria from the Lactobacillus genus. Lactobacilli-dominated communities correlate with a lower risk of genital herpes acquisition and decreased instances of viral reactivation. The identification of anti-herpetic compounds produced by lactobacillus bacteria offers a potential avenue for novel antiviral therapies. Harnessing the natural capabilities of beneficial bacteria for viral control could lead to innovative treatment approaches for a whole myriad of viruses.

Graduation is pretty far down the horizon with me, but when I visualize Dr. Causey, she is some big shot executive.I am an avid writer. I love writing poetry. I also paint, poorly, but one day they might end up in a museum, who knows. To keep active, I love running and roller skating and at the tender age of 25 I am learning how to swim!

Fabian Suri-Payer

Program: Molecules, Cells, and Organisms

Hometown: Hannover, NI, Germany

PI(s): Anna Greka

I grew up and finished school in Germany, living first in Heidelberg and then in Hannover. As my brother moved to the US to start his PhD, and my parents moved to England, I decided to come to the US as well for my undergraduate studies, and then stayed here to also do a PhD! Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of not being able to eat Currywurst or Döner for the last 5 years!

I’ve always been interested in biology and how it affects human disease because my mother used to be an immunologist. I also realized pretty early on that I absolutely did not want to be a physician; studying molecular biology and diving into biotech, drug discovery and development was the perfect alternative. My main goal is to attempt to identify and develop new therapeutic strategies for rare genetic diseases, focusing on the liver/lung disease Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and UMOD-mediated Autosomal Dominant Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease. Through TGP I’ve been introduced to the world of drug discovery and the various challenges associated with developing new therapeutics and am translating this knowledge into my own research.

Outside of lab I spend most of my time playing tennis, soccer, going to the gym, reading or playing video games. I used to play competitive tennis growing up, with many of my friends trying to go pro, but I just did it for fun. Funnily enough, I instead had offers to move to LA to play professional video games as I was starting my PhD!

Jennifer Jiang

Program: Systems, Synthetic, & Quant. Biology

Hometown: Vancouver, BC, Canada

PI(s): Phil Cole

I’m a PhD student in the Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology program working in Phil Cole’s lab, where I sit at the intersection of protein design, biochemistry, and epigenetics. I use computational and experimental protein engineering to build tools that probe chromatin states. Chromatin markers, like histone post-translational modifications, are important therapeutic targets, and my work aims to create biosensors that can feed into target discovery, drug screening, and mechanistic studies.

I have broad interests, and TGP has been a warm, supportive community as I explore different career paths in science. Outside the lab, I’m active in science communication and consulting: I’ve given public lectures on biology, tell biotech stories as a podcast host and writer, and lead pro bono consulting projects for companies. I’ve also captained the Harvard women’s table tennis team and enjoy tennis and skiing. Lately, I’m on a personal mission to find the best ramen, matcha, and lobster roll spots in Boston.

Frank Obeng Addae

Program: Biological Sciences in Public Health

Hometown: Dunkwa-On-Offin, Ghana

PI(s): Manoj Duraisingh

I grew up in Ghana in a humble family of seven, where my father, the family's breadwinner, was working as a pupil teacher with a monthly salary of less than GHS 500 (~$38). Supporting my education was challenging due to financial difficulties, but I count myself blessed to have come this far through the support of loved ones, NGOs, and scholarship-giving organizations. I am very passionate about leadership, teaching, mentoring, volunteering, and community service. As part of my volunteering activities, I mentor several African students seeking graduate school opportunities in the USA. I have co-founded a foundation called Mofra Literacy Foundation that aims to provide financial support to brilliant but needy students in my hometown in Ghana.

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death of children under five years in Africa, where I come from. With the emergence of resistance against the current antimalarial drugs, there is a need to identify new antimalarials with novel mechanisms of action and less susceptibility to resistance. For my PhD, I am interested in exploring Plasmodium histone deacetylases as novel targets for antimalarial drugs. I am very passionate about identifying novel therapeutics to combat infectious diseases and other non-communicable diseases such as cancer.

I love to play soccer, sing, listen to music, and preach the word of God. I also love engaging in community services to positively impact the lives of others. Finally, I enjoy cooking Ghanaian meals like Jollof!

Cynthia Moncada-Reid

Program: Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Tech

Hometown: San Diego, CA, USA

PI(s): Lisa Goodrich

I study spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), which relay electrical signals from sensory cells in the inner ear to the brain, allowing us to hear and interpret sounds. The auditory system is among the fastest and most dynamic of the body’s sensory systems, making it an excellent model for exploring how specific cellular functions contribute to complex biological processes. I am particularly interested in transcription factors that drive gene expression in a dose-dependent and combinatorial manner, which is crucial for establishing and maintaining synaptic heterogeneity in SGNs. My goal is to contribute to a more nuanced model of how gene expression is orchestrated and finely-tuned, not only in auditory neurons but potentially in other cell types as well.

My work can reveal potential targets for the development of stem-cell based therapies for hearing loss, fitting well with TGP’s focus on transforming basic scientific discoveries into clinical solutions for neurosensory disorders and beyond. After graduation, I am interested in merging scientific knowledge with entrepreneurship and intellectual property management to create impactful healthcare solutions.

Ashton Tillett

Program: Biological and Biomedical Sci.

Hometown: Crooked Tree Village, Belize

PI(s): Rotating

I grew up in a small village in Belize as the youngest in my family and later moved to the United States to study chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. After graduating, I worked in the Walsh and Khoshkhoo labs, where I studied somatic mosaicism in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Now that I am beginning my PhD in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program, I am excited to keep exploring the neurogenetic questions that first drew me into research.

I have always been interested in how small molecular changes can reshape entire biological systems. Working with patient-derived neurons and seeing how single nucleotide variants influence neural circuits made me realize that this is the type of problem I want to work on. I hope to develop new genome engineering tools, model neurodevelopmental disorders and eventually explore ways to repair pathogenic mutations in the brain. TGP gives me a framework for thinking about how scientific ideas can move toward real therapies. It helps me understand the challenges around delivery, safety and scalability, which are important for the kind of work I hope to do.

I hope to lead my own research group focused on neurogenetics and therapeutic development. After graduate school, I plan to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship that will challenge me scientifically and help bring new strategies closer to the clinic.

I enjoy trying new foods and recreating Belizean dishes that remind me of home. I am a cat dad to two Ragdolls who bring a lot of personality to my apartment. When I am not in the lab, I am usually visiting new coffee shops, watching fantasy shows or planning my next hike.

Diana Grass

Program: Health Sciences & Technology

Hometown: Cartagena, BL, Colombia

PI(s): Polina Anikeeva

I am a fourth year PhD student in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics in the joint Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. I was born and raised in Colombia, and I am passionate about empowering and advocating for global health, equity in education, and leveraging innovation to catalyze social and economic development in resource-limited areas.

My research focuses on investigating the interactions between the nervous and immune systems within the context of chronic inflammation (CI). Alarmingly, worldwide, three out of five people die from chronic inflammatory diseases, including stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Unfortunately, the mechanisms behind the anti-inflammatory reflex are not fully understood, and there is a significant lack of effective medical tools to modulate CI. To address these challenges, I am employing a multidisciplinary approach that combines neuroscience, immunology, and neuroengineering. This approach involves developing multifunctional neural interfaces for the rodent spleen-brain axis, which enable the recording and modulation of neurons and have the potential to open new pathways for understanding and treating chronic inflammatory diseases. My research aligns with the Therapeutics Graduate Program (TGP) through its focus on understanding and developing novel therapeutic approaches to address diseases. By utilizing the TGP's rigorous training and cutting-edge techniques, I aim to advance my research in identifying and developing effective medical tools to modulate chronic inflammation. This work ultimately contributes to the TGP's mission of advancing therapeutics discovery and improving treatment outcomes.

I'm a globetrotter at heart who loves learning new languages, diving into different cultures, and traveling the world. I started my academic journey with a Bachelor’s degree in German Philology and Education, studying in both Colombia and Germany. It was an incredible experience that fueled my passion for connecting with people across the globe. But the adventure didn’t stop there! I then moved to the USA to pursue another bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. Now, I’m blending my love for languages and cultures with the exciting world of neuroscience, medicine and engineering!

Michael Mandanas

Program: Immunology

Hometown: Edmmond, OK, USA

PI(s): Nora Barrett

I grew up with food allergies, and I’ve always wanted to do something that could help other members of my community. For me, science was the best way to do that. I’m currently researching the effects of mTOR signaling in the airway epithelium in the context of type 2 inflammation (chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, etc). I’d love to leverage the resources and classes provided by the TGP to turn my current research into real impact on human patients in the future! After graduation, I’d love to work in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry so that I can help create treatments or devices that can help patients.

I’m also very involved in the performing arts! As a child, I used to act professionally (some commercials, a movie, and even an episode of Barney!). Now, I love performing in musical theatre, and am a member of a Boston dance team called Inc Dance Crew.

Oyku Sumer

Program: Biological Sciences in Public Health

Hometown: Manisa, Türkiye

PI(s): Kristopher Sarosiek

I am a PhD student at Harvard University, focusing on translational oncology and women's health. With over five years of international research experience spanning prestigious institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the University of Toronto, my expertise lies in ovarian and breast cancer research. For my dissertation project, I investigate therapy-associated senescence in ovarian cancer. Currently, I manage the flagship chapter of Nucleate in Boston, deeply committed to translational research. My passion for biotech innovation was cultivated during my role as a business development intern at the Merck Innovation Center in Germany. Combining my research and biotech business experience across the USA, Europe, and the Middle East, I aim to drive impactful change at the intersection of academia and industry. I believe the TGP program will serve as an excellent bridge to reach my future goals.

Andrew Zhou

Program: AI in Medicine

Hometown: San Diego, CA, USA

PI(s): Maha Farhat

I grew up split between New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Shanghai, and now call Boston and San Diego home. I went to college at Caltech, where I worked on the evolution of biocatalysts using directed evolution in the lab of Professor Frances Arnold. I was grateful to spend a funded year in Cambridge, England to do an MPhil at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Professor Jason Chin’s lab. During that time, I pursued my growing interest in computational research and focused my thesis on bioinformatic algorithm development.

I’ve always enjoyed math and quantitative sciences, and I dreamed of using these methods to improve human health and wellbeing. Now, we are in the moment where computational methods can actually do so! I am currently an MD-PhD student in the HST and AIM programs, unifying my experimental and computational experiences. I am working on methods development and applications for biomolecular AI. In particular, I am focusing on developing generalizable and scalable methods to model molecules and their effects on microorganisms. I use these to propose novel antibiotic candidates. I am most motivated by the idea of developing something that can make a difference in the real-world, beyond conferences and journals. The TGP has faculty and students with incredible expertise in real-world therapeutic development, which is incredibly important for me.

I hope to bridge my computational, experimental, and medical experiences and conduct research across these domains. More concretely, I hope to become a physician-scientist and develop methods that enable better understanding of molecules and their effects, with my ultimate aspiration of contributing to a new therapeutic. I would love to be appointed at a university hospital, where the I can understand true clinical need and use that to inform my research.

Aside from my research, I’m grateful to be the site director of the MGH Crimson Care Collaborative, Harvard’s student-run medical clinic. There, volunteers help provide care to those who are currently without a PCP. I enjoy spending time outdoors. I played collegiate tennis and since moving to Boston have started running long-distance races. Beside this, I enjoy going for long walks around Boston, and dream of organizing food-based walking tours for my friends.