About Us
Learn More About Our Team Members
Rebecca Scheck, PhD (She/her)
Principal Investigator
Rebecca was born and raised just outside of NYC. As an undergraduate, she attended Columbia University and worked in the lab of Prof. Colin Nuckolls. For her Ph.D., she attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked with Prof. Matt Francis. She was then an NIH postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Alanna Schepartz at Yale University. Rebecca started at Tufts in 2013 and received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2022.
Tin Pham (He/him)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Tin is from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University in May 2020 with a BSE in Chemical Engineering and is happy to be at Tufts for his Ph.D.! If Tin is not doing chemistry, he is most likely exploring Boston for food, learning some dance moves, or practicing makeup.
Nick McCurtin (They/them)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Nick was born in Baltimore, MD and was raised in the DMV area. In 2020, Nick received a B.A. in biology from Suffolk University in Boston. Although initially a biologist, Nick’s underlying passion for Chemistry has manifested itself through enrollment to Tufts as a Chemistry Ph.D. student. In any free time, Nick enjoys pop culture, vegan cooking, hiking, and admiring urban wildlife.
Jeremiah Jacob-Dolan (He/him)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Jeremiah is from Arlington, Massachusetts. He received his BS in Biochemistry from Loyola University, Chicago. He joined Tufts in the fall of 2021 where he is pursuing his PHD. In his free time, Jeremiah enjoys playing soccer, hiking, snowboarding and sailing.
Hannah Kimball (She/her)
Graduate Student (Ph.D., CMDB)
Hannah grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. In 2017, Hannah graduated from Goucher College in Maryland with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Hannah is currently pursuing her PhD in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology from Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. When not in the lab, Hannah enjoys crocheting, reading, and watching crime related tv shows.
Ariana Gazaferi (She/her)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Ariana is from Southington, CT. She graduated from the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT in May 2022 with a B.S. in chemistry and minor in biology. When not obsessing over chemistry, in her free time she loves to binge watch Netflix documentaries, jam out to music, and keep active either by playing soccer, working out in the gym, or running.
Morgan Brutus (She/her)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Morgan is from Londonderry, NH. She graduated from the Merrimack College in North Andover, MA in May 2022 with a BS in biology and minor in chemistry. Wanting to expand her knowledge in chemistry, she started at Tufts in fall 2022 pursuing a PhD in chemistry. In her free time, you can find her enjoying the beach, reading, going for a run, or baking cookies.
Amy Sterling (She/her)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Amy grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in both Chemistry, with a concentration in Biochemistry, and Spanish. Amy joined Tufts in 2024 and is pursuing her PhD in Chemistry. When outside the lab, Amy enjoys running, playing the piano, and cooking new foods.
Richard Zhao (He/him)
Graduate Student (M.D./Ph.D.)
Richard is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a BS in chemical biology and a minor in computer science. He joined Tufts MSTP in 2023 and began his PhD in 2025. In his free time, he can be seen playing music, practicing taekwondo, or playing video games.
Niki Kovacova (She/her)
Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
Owen Masur (He/him)
Undergraduate Student
Owen is from Quincy, Massachusetts, and is a sophomore in biochemistry at Tufts University. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, playing classical piano, going to local concerts, building book nooks, and reading House of Leaves (and probably other books).
Rebecca Rios-Lazo (She/her)
Undergraduate Student
Rebecca is from Norwalk, CA studying Chemistry at Tufts University. She has a passion for all things chemistry, and when she’s not studying for exams or working on assignments, you can usually find her reading a good book, watching tv, or listening to music. She also loves to travel and she is excited to study abroad in London, where she can explore new places and different cultures!
Adi Raman (He/him)
Undergraduate Student
Adi is a biochemistry and biotechnology major at Tufts University from Acton, Massachusetts. He is interested in how biochemistry can be used to understand disease and guide the development of new therapies, especially biologics. Outside of class, Adi enjoys singing with Tufts’ oldest all-gender a cappella group, The Amalgamates, hiking with his dog, Merlin, and doing the occasional cartwheel.
Noah Novick (He/him)
Undergraduate Student
Noah is a Biochemistry and Biotechnology double major from Santa Cruz, California, with a deep interest in everything chemistry-related. Outside the lab and academics, he works as an EMT and stays active by going to the gym, biking, and spending time outdoors. He also plays guitar and enjoys cooking and baking.