Staff

Jonna Iacono

Director

Jonna Iacono, PhD, serves as the Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Iacono arrived at Northeastern by way of Brown University, where she earned her PhD in Early American Literature and Cultures. Before this, she graduated with honors from Princeton University. An affiliated faculty member in Northeastern's Department of English, she is at work on a book manuscript about the evolution of the nineteenth-century American novel's theoretical concerns and aesthetic practices. In addition to working with students in the classroom, Iacono has guided students through the process of applying for and winning nationally competitive fellowships, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Schwarzman, Goldwater, NSF GRFP, Boren, CLS, and Fulbright.

Sara Nelson

Associate Director

Sara Nelson comes to Northeastern from MIT where she spent the past 16 years working in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). In UROP she advised and supported undergraduates and research supervisors; led programming and outreach; worked closely with UROP donors; and more. She also served seven years as the Director of the MIT Amgen Scholars Program – a summer REU in science and biotechnology.

When not working, she can be found playing soccer, planning her next home improvement project, traveling with her family, and drinking a nice hot americano.

Terumi Rafferty-Osaki

Associate Director

Terumi Rafferty-Osaki earned his Ph.D. in history from American University where he served as a Graduate Fellowship Advisor for the Office of Merit Awards. He moved to Florida undertaking the role of Assistant Director for External and Competitive Fellowships and Pre-Health Professions at Rollins College before founding the Office of Competitive Fellowships at Florida Gulf Coast University. His research focuses on the performance and perceptions of masculinity during Nikkei Incarceration as well as sports history. Dr. Rafferty-Osaki has been featured on C-SPAN and published with the NINE, Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, and “Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project.” He is excited to return to the region of his alma mater, Boston College, and dreams of finally completing the Boston Marathon.

Carey Accola-Gavin

Administrative Assistant