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Researchers

Marcus Ruscetti , Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Molecular Cell and Cancer Biology Department

B.A. University of Virginia
M.A. Johns Hopkins University
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Postdoc Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Marcus is originally from Frederick, Maryland, and has traveled from coast to coast for his scientific training before happily settling in Massachusetts. Marcus is interested in studying the interactions between intrinsic tumor suppressor pathways and extrinsic immune pathways in solid tumors, with the ultimate goal to inform new therapies for cancer patients. He is also excited about building and mentoring a diverse and inclusive lab made up of talented and enthusiastic students, technicians, and postdocs.

Hobbies: Hiking, Snowboarding (especially après ski), Dad Jokes
Kat Murphy , B.S.

Graduate Student

B.S. Boston College
Joined the Ruscetti Lab in 2020

Kat is interested in studying ways in which to induce effects on the intrinsic immune landscape of solid tumor types to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapies for cancer patients. Currently, she is investigating the role of senescence in enacting these effects in prostate cancer.

Hobbies: Reading, drawing, and writing
Chaitanya Parikh , M.Biotech.

Graduate Student

B.Biotech. VIT University, Vellore, India
M.Biotech. Texas A&M University
Joined to the Ruscetti lab in 2022

Chaitanya is originally from India and moved to the US to pursue a Master's in Biotechnology at Texas A&M University. Eventually, he called the East Coast his home and took a research assistant position at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Big city life didn't suit him well, so he moved to UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester for graduate school. He is intrigued that current immunotherapies though effective in other cancers, are ineffective in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. As a graduate student in Ruscetti Lab, he is working to develop novel mRNA-based immunotherapy strategies for pancreatic cancer.
Boyang Ma , B.S.

Graduate Student

B.S. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Joined the Ruscetti lab in 2023

Boyang grew up in China and had his undergraduate education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His interests lie in improving current immunotherapy for cancer patients, as well as developing novel approaches. His projects focus on studying the crosstalk between senescent cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment at primary and metastatic sites.

Hobbies: Cooking, photography, trail and mountain biking, hiking
Haruka Mori , B.S.

Graduate student (co-mentored with Prabhani Atukorale)

B.S. George Mason University
Joined the Ruscetti lab in 2024

Haruka is originally from Nagoya, Japan. She is interested in designing therapeutics and delivery systems. Her project focuses on developing nanoparticle-based combinatorial strategies for pancreatic cancer patients.

Hobbies: Baking, crafting
Hadiya Giwa

Research Associate

B.S. Tufts University
Joined to the Ruscetti lab in 2024

Born to Ghanaian immigrants, Hadiya grew up in central Massachusetts and studied Biomedical Engineering and French at Tufts University. Throughout her time at Tufts, Hadiya served as the Vice President for the National Society of Black Engineers and held multiple roles in the Tufts Community Union Senate. She is interested in combating disparities in medicine by bringing innovative cancer treatments particularly to marginalized communities. Outside of academia, Hadiya has had experiences working in the biotech industry at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals and Cerevel Therapeutics (now Abbvie). She is excited to blend these experiences and explore the roles of senescence and novel immunotherapies through an engineering perspective.

Hobbies: hand embroidery, soccer, journaling, travel
Meghan Brassil

Graduate student

B.S. UMass Amherst
Joined to the Ruscetti lab in 2025

Meghan completed her undergraduate studies at UMass Amherst. Her research focuses on understanding the role of cellular senescence within the pre-metastatic niche, with the goal of developing therapeutic strategies to prevent cancer metastasis.

Hobbies: Baking, reading, hiking, picklebal