Seven Huskies Nominated For Study in the United Kingdom

This year, Northeastern University nominated seven students for the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, awards that support study in the UK for those distinguished by their academic accomplishments, leadership, and motivation to serve. We are proud to highlight this year’s nominees and their accomplishments and look forward to seeing them pursue their goals and make lasting impacts in their fields. Congratulations, Huskies!

Maya De Los Santos, COE’25, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mentors: Saiph Savage, David Kaeli, Tina Eliassi-Rad, Daniel Klug, Kevin Pacheco, Markiyah Bullard, Richard Harris, Julienne LaChance

Maya De Los Santos is dedicated to collaborating with marginalized communities to co-design socio-technical tools that empower them to have agency over their personal data and promote their well-being. Her pursuit of Electrical and Computer Engineering within Northeastern University’s Honors Program has equipped her with the technical skills to develop these tools, while her love for research has deepened her understanding of the impacts of privacy violations on vulnerable individuals. In 2021, Maya was selected for an NSF grant to participate in Carnegie Mellon University’s REUSE research program, where she published a first-author paper on TikTok users’ awareness of the platform’s privacy policy. Following this experience, she worked in Dr. Saiph Savage’s Civic AI lab as an AJC Merit Research Scholar, publishing four papers about her designs for human-centered AI systems that ensure fair work opportunities and privacy protection for crowd workers worldwide. Aside from research, she is also an active member of Northeastern’s Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Black Engineering Student Society, serving as president of the former for an academic year.

Rupsa Jana, COS‘25, Biochemistry
Mentors: Needa Brown, Ralph Weissleder, Vasiliki Lykourinou, Srinivas Sridhar

Rupsa Jana is a fourth-year Honors biochemistry major. As an aspiring physician-scientist, she is interested in tackling clinical challenges related to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic, inflammatory diseases by harnessing the growing field of nanomedicine. Globally, 1 in 3 adults suffer from chronic diseases with their estimated costs expected to reach $47 trillion. Nanomedicine utilizes biologically-derived molecules and materials, such as proteins and polymers, to design clinical care tools at nanoscale and has the potential to treat various chronic diseases more effectively with lower doses of medicines, thus reducing their global costs. Rupsa hopes to engage with the U.K.’s influential sectors in nanotechnology and healthcare where she aims to pursue a research Master’s in nanotechnology to learn about diverse nanomaterials and their applications and then an immunology Master’s to further her perspective on how various nanoparticle-based drugs can take advantage of the immune pathways associated with disease progression to create targeted therapies that can lower clinical care costs. Rupsa’s interest in nanomedicine was cultivated through her co-op experiences at the NIH-CaNCURE (Cancer Nanomedicine Research Experience) program and Northeastern’s Nanomedicine Innovation Center where she designed nanoparticles as diagnostic tools and anti-cancer drugs. Rupsa also developed her passion for healthcare advocacy through directing an undergraduate case competition centered around public health in the ViTAL Northeastern Healthcare Innovation Club.

Pratika Katiyar, DMSB’24, Business Administration and Communication Studies
Mentors: Ryan Ellis, Jeb Sharp, David Myers, Hemanth  Gundavaram, Gary Green, Taylor Lorenz, Kendra Albert

Pratika Katiyar is an Honors student majoring in Business Administration Communication Studies. Pratika is interested in the intersection of technology, politics, and law, focusing on how to effectively regulate technologies that impact fundamental human rights, like privacy and free expression, and broader issues like climate and reproductive justice. Pratika’s enthusiasm for technology policy is evident in her past work as a research assistant at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, a digital policy fellow at PEN America, and in her Honors thesis, where she investigated the use of AI for surveillance at U.S. borders. She has also contributed to politics and tech coverage for outlets like CNN, Teen Vogue, and Neiman Reports. Pratika began her public service work by championing student press freedom in her home state of Virginia. She testified for legislation to reinstate First Amendment rights for student journalists and has since worked nationally to pass similar laws across the country. She has been featured in several news outlets, like Teen Vogue and TechCrunch, and has appeared on panels across the country, including at Georgetown Law School and the United Nations. Now the youngest member on the Student Press Law Center’s Board of Directors, Pratika remains dedicated to the cause. Pratika is president of Northeastern Women in Business and enjoys dancing with No Limits Dance Crew. For her activism, she was named one of Glamour Magazine’s College Women of the Year and was on the Her Campus and e.l.f. cosmetics 22 under 22 list of most inspiring women.

Yueting Lu, COS’24, Behavioral Neuroscience
Mentors: Michael Trisolini, Isaac Chiu, Jennifer Ingemi

Yueting Lu is deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of aging populations through a combination of scientific research, public health initiatives, and education. As a patient care technician at a local nursing home, she served as a liaison for Chinese-speaking dementia patients, helping bridge communication gaps with their healthcare providers. This experience motivated her to join Dr. Isaac Chiu’s lab at Harvard Medical School, where she conducted research on neurodegeneration. Yueting continued her dedication to community health via her internship at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where she developed health messaging for communities across the state. She also volunteers with Harvard’s mobile health clinic, the Family Van, to deliver preventative care to Boston’s underserved elderly populations. In Cambodia, she worked with the Harpswell Foundation to co-develop a health and nutrition curriculum for over 100 students, witnessing firsthand the transformative role of education in health. Her passion for addressing elder isolation led her to found the Student Senior Alliance (SSA) in Boston, a volunteer network connecting students to nursing homes. With over 100 volunteers and more than 2,000 cumulative volunteer hours, SSA strengthens community ties and enhances healthcare for the elderly.

Natasha Nagy, CSSH’25, Political Science and International Affairs
Mentors: Jensen Cheong, Erika Dinkel-Smith, Judith Fong, Denis Sullivan, Hannah Thoburn, Joani LaMachia, Lori Gardinier

Natasha Nagy is a Political Science and International Affairs student from Boise, Idaho. Inspired by the diversity of perspectives from grassroots organizers, government officials, artists, and others that Nagy was exposed to on the Old and New Middle East: Egypt, Jordan, UAE Dialogue, she realized her intellectual interests lie in conflict: the democratic backslide that precedes it, religious and cultural traditions that complicate it, and the role of the state in prevention and reconciliation. In 2023, Nagy participated in the Balkan Wars: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania Dialogue. Hearing how states and the international communities failed citizens confirmed her motivation to pursue reconciliation-based policy work. Nagy was introduced to the policymaking process during her first co-op with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During her second co-op at the White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, she fulfilled the mediatory role she desired by hosting rank-and-file union members for listening sessions that resulted in policy change tailored to their needs. She desires to fulfill a similar facilitatory role between the U.S. government and the people of the Western Balkans after hopefully completing her Master’s of Science in Global Governance and Diplomacy and Master’s of Public Policy, as a Rhodes Scholar. Nagy greatly values the continual support from her peers on the Women’s Club Waterpolo Team.

Keneya Onuaguluchi, CSSH’25, History, Culture, and Law
Mentors: Layla Brown, Patrice Collins, Olivia Strange

Keneya Onuaguluchi’s firsthand encounters with systemic injustices ignited her commitment to social justice and criminal justice reform. Her true passion lies in addressing and reforming deep-rooted disparities within the prison and police systems. As a PEAK Base Camp recipient, Keneya explored the challenges faced by recently released individuals, uncovering significant barriers to employment, housing, and familial relationships alongside Professors Patrice Collins and Megan Denver. She was subsequently chosen to serve as one of the lead undergraduate volunteers for the Pathways program, where she played a pivotal role in supporting formerly incarcerated individuals and assisting with logistical planning through Northeastern’s Center on Race, Crime, and Justice, in collaboration with the Boston Mayor’s Office. Keneya also interned at the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, investigating racially motivated homicides during the Jim Crow Era in the South and Border States, seeking restorative justice for affected families. Currently, she is a policy analyst at the Transformational Prison Project, where they plan to introduce a bill at the start of the new legislative cycle. Additionally, she serves as the Peer Programmer Coordinator for the Alliance of Civically Engaged Students and is the president of the Club Basketball team. With aspirations for a Master’s in Human Rights and Criminal Justice Policy, Keneya aims to continue advocating for marginalized communities impacted by criminal justice injustices.

Georgios Vassilakis, COS’25, Applied Physics
Mentors: Jacqueline McCleary, Juner Zhu, Ajay Gill, Ennio Mingolla, Kate Driscoll

Georgios (George) Vassilakis is driving astrophysical discovery forward with his use of data science and machine learning. By studying the makeup of galaxy clusters and mapping their masses out in the sky, he looks to study the properties of dark matter to reveal its true nature. George, an applied physics major with a concentration in astrophysics and a minor in data science, started his research working for Professor Jacqueline McCleary on NASA’s SuperBIT Telescope team. There, he got to perform a full solo operating shift of the telescope, and get to know the ins and outs of academia. In his next co-op with Professor Juner Zhu, he developed scientific machine learning algorithms to model the governing physics of solid state batteries, enhancing and accelerating their development. Currently, he is working on processing SuperBIT’s spring 2023 science flight data, along with developing the software package Shear Mapping in Python (SMPy). Funded by a PEAK Summit award, he is currently developing SMPy into a robust, efficient, and user-friendly tool for astrophysicists to map dark matter. The software will be used to create the first dark matter map ever from stratospheric observations. Using these experiences, he plans on pursuing a PhD in Astrophysics with a heavy focus on data-driven methods, in order to push the boundaries of astrophysics in an age where astronomical surveys are of unprecedented precision and volume. George is a member of Northeastern’s Olympic Weightlifting team, and is an avid guitar player.