Krishna Kumar, PhD
Prof. Kumar is Robinson Professor of Chemistry, was previously Chair of the Chemistry Department (2006-2009 and 2012-2018); Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University and a Member of the Cancer Center of the Tufts Medical Center. His research is at the interface of Chemistry, Biology and Medicine. His research group uses chemical and biological methods to create novel and functional molecules that allow understanding the mechanism of, and/or control biological processes. The group has diverse interests spanning organic chemistry, biophysics, cell biology, imaging and medicinal chemistry. Current areas of interest span the origin of life, therapeutic molecule design for Type 2 diabetes, cancer, NASH, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s disease, smoking cessation; penetration of peptide molecules through the gut and the Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) and in the development of novel antibiotics.
Jamie Liu, PhD
Jamie was born in San Francisco but was raised in Hong Kong for the better part of her childhood before moving back to sunny California. She eventually received her B.S. in Biochemistry from San Jose State University, working under Marc d’Alarcao. When not sciencing, Jamie likes to travel, practice yoga, read and meditate. Her goal is to one day do a headstand on a beautiful beach and have her photo taken without putting her life at great risk. All seriousness aside, she has a keen interest in eating extremely spicy food and nothing makes her happier than a latte from a hipster coffee house.
Damla Surmeli, PhD
Damla is a native from Ankara, Turkey and joined the Tufts Department of Chemistry in 2018. In her undergraduate years, she worked on total synthesis of fluoranthene derivatives. Currently, she is working on N-terminal modifications for GLP-1R and GIPR dual agonist. Outside the lab, she has a passion for cooking and plants.
Jake Cortigiano
Jake is a first-year graduate student in the Kumar Lab. He recently received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut, graduating with the class of 2019. Despite selling his soul to academia, he has the audacity to pursue extracurricular activities, such as playing the piano, designing shirts, and watching cartoons. He loves sea creatures, so if you know any feel free to send him pictures. One of his dreams is to own a pet octopus and train it to open jars.
Haley Anchukaitis
Haley is from Wrentham, Massachusetts and received her B.S. in Chemistry with ACS Certification from St. Lawrence University in 2018. She joined the Tufts Chemistry Department in 2020 hoping to expand upon her knowledge of organic and medicinal chemistry. After a long day in lab, she enjoys going home to cook dinner and watch hockey. In her free time, she also enjoys swimming, hiking, and catching up on the latest Netflix shows with friends. Some of her favorite memories include skydiving and learning to surf while studying abroad in New Zealand.
Siyuan Xiang
Siyuan is from China, but he went to University of Delaware for undergraduate study. He received his B.S in Chemistry in 2020. He used to work in a chemical biology lab for two and half years studying secondary structure of protein. In his undergrad, he was in the esport team for 2 years. In his free time, he likes to play video games and travel.
Tristan Dinsmore
Tristan was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. Tristan is a new member to the Kumar lab and received his B.S. in Chemistry at Connecticut College. In his earlier years, Tristan completed three marathons resulting in three exciting medals and one bad knee. Consequently, Tristan now spends his time outside of research and academia enjoying the simpler things in life, like watching cartoons while laying down or playing fun games with friends.
Prithviraj Talukdar
Raj is a first year PhD student from Long Island NY. He graduated from Macaulay Honors College with a degree in Biochemistry. He hopes to better understand the mechanisms behind disease and develop better therapeutics. In his free time he takes care of his plants and box turtle Lenore. He also produces music on the side.
Vladislav Khamraev
Vlad joined the group in a role of a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in the Fall 2021, continuing his reasearch as a graduate student. He received his master’s degree from Mendeleev University in 2017 under the guidance of Prof. Smushkevich. His primary research interest is focused on the development of novel methods for the synthesis of biologically active compounds. When not discovering new reactions, he learns new nursery rhimes, but eventually “can‘t remember the words to the song”.
Marina Spenciner
Marina was born in southern Massachusetts, but she enjoys visiting her family in Maine. She was a biochemistry major at WPI and gradutated in 2022. She likes being in the sun in the summer but is perpetually cold in the winter (which is only tolerable when she is skiing). She enjoys filling her apartment with plants, trying to learn different languages, and drawing abstract art when the mood strikes.
Alexandra Dobbins
Alexandra is a Junior studying Biochemistry and Community Health from Bethesda, Maryland. In her free time, she is a member of the Tufts University Jackson Jills and Project Share. She loves to sing, dance, make fun of her twin brother, and facetime her two dogs, Stella and Murphy! Alex is excited to expand her knowledge of organic and medicinal chemistry during her time at Tufts.
Nikita Bhat
Nikita is a sophomore from Bedford, New Hampshire majoring in chemistry and biotechnology. On campus, she is involved in the club gymnastics team, and she writes and illustrates for the Undergraduate Breakthrough Journal. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading fantasy novels, crocheting, and watching her favorite shows on repeat. Nikita is excited to expand upon her knowledge of organic and medicinal chemistry.
Brett Waldman
Brett is a junior from Mount Kisco, New York studying biochemistry at Tufts. He is interested in drug design and looks forward to building his knowledge of organic chemistry. Outside of the lab, he works as an EMT as part of Tufts EMS and also locally in Somerville and Malden. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and video games with friends, and loves the adrenaline rush of watching horror movies at night.
Sophia Vezmar
Sophia is a junior studying chemistry and French and is from Minneapolis, MN. When not in Pearson, she can be found running at the track or reading on Prez lawn. On campus, Sophia is part of the club running team and AMPT (Association of Mixed People at Tufts). She likes to collect pins, go stargazing, and is a big fan of public transportation. Sophia can't wait to build upon her experience in synthetic and organic chemistry with the Kumar group!
Vittorio Montanari, Ph.D.
Dr. Vittorio Montanari is a Visiting Scholar at Tufts University. He oversees many projects in collaboration with the Kumar lab relating to peptide hormones that have the potential to ameliorate a large number of human conditions, including diabetes, obesity, and potentially Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Before Tufts, Vittorio earned a Ph.D. in organic and fluorine chemistry. He has extensive industrial organic synthesis experience. He is the cofounder of a company commercializing Tufts-patented technology, was a 2013 Mass Challenge finalist and served as the Chief Technology Officer for four years. He regularly runs marathons and hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon some day.