Codi Gharagouzloo, a physicist and bioengineer, enrolled in the Ph.D. program at Northeastern University in 2011, dreaming of curing cancer.

“I originally came in with this sort of magic bullet idea,” he says. “I thought nanoparticles were just going to be the cure to cancer.”

In the mid-2000s, nanoparticles, a class of tiny materials that cannot be seen with a regular microscope, and nanomedicine, which uses medical intervention at the molecular level, became a highly promising area of research on cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

As a research assistant in the lab of Srinivas Sridhar, director of Nanomedicine Innovation Center at Northeastern and distinguished professor of physics, Gharagouzloo used magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to study the use of iron oxide nanoparticles for quantifying the enhanced permeability and retention effect when molecules of certain of certain size can accumulate in tumor tissue.

But he soon realized that nanoparticle drug delivery to cancer would be made successful through specific targeting for specific cancers, driven by discoveries in molecular biology and not physics.

Read more from Northeastern Global News.

Photo courtesy of Codi Gharagouzloo

Commencement is nearing for the Northeastern College of Science undergraduate class of 2024! This year, at the College of Science graduation, Sacha Sergent will be speaking to her fellow graduates and leaving them with a final hoorah. To get in the excitement of commencement, I interviewed Sacha to learn about her time at Northeastern and what she plans on doing after. 

Sacha was born in Paris, France and grew up in Westchester, New York. When she was 8 years old, she toured schools in Boston with her older brother and fell in love with the city. 

“I have so many happy memories of us walking around the Faneuil Hall area, taking pictures of all the pumpkins on brownstones, and walking around Kenmore,” she says. 

From then on, she knew she wanted to live in Boston. 

 In high school, Sacha realized she wanted to apply to medical school post-grad but knew there was a chance that she’d change her mind in four years. A school that would give her the opportunity to consider as many options as possible became a priority, and after looking at other schools, it became clear that Northeastern was the place for her. 

At Northeastern, Sacha studied Behavioral Neuroscience with her favorite classes being Behavioral Endocrinology; Culture, Tech, and the Future of Health; AI in Health and Wellness; Behavioral Genetics; and Psychopharmology. 

Her first co-op was as a medical scribe at South End Community Health Center:  

“I loved being a part of the medical team, getting to see doctors go through the medical decision-making process, and getting to interact with patients (especially kiddos!” 

Sacha switched it up for her second co-op where she worked in clinical trial development at Prime Medicine in Cambridge. At Prime Medicine, she researched Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare, genetic neurodegenerative disease. She also worked in clinical trial operations and medical writing for their recently FDA cleared Investigational New Drug application for the treatment of Chronic Granulomatous Disease, a rare immunological disease. 

Aside from her academic pursuits and professional accomplishments, Sacha was involved in student organizations at Northeastern. Since 2021, Sacha has been a part of CHAARG (Changing Health, Attitudes, and Actions to Recreate Girls), a women’s health and wellness organization that helps students “find their fit” through weekly workouts with local group fitness studios/instructors so members can try different types of movement, as well as socials to build community on campus. She first served as CHAARG’s event coordinator (‘21-’22) then became the club’s president (‘22-’23). This past year, Sacha worked on CHAARG’s national team, managing four executive teams comprised of 35 leaders from other schools around the country. Sacha also taught over 300 group fitness classes at Northeastern! 

She has also been involved with NEURONS, Northeastern’s neuroscience interest group. She served as the club’s Public Relations Officer (‘21-’22) and Vice President (‘22-’23. ‘23-’24) where she helped put together last year and this year’s Brain Awareness Weeks, with the themes “Imaging Neuroscience” and “AI in Neuroscience”. 

After graduating, Sacha plans on returning to Prime Medicine to continue her work in clinical trial operations and medical writing, leaving behind words of wisdom to her former self: “Follow your passions, lean into your curiosity”. 

Congratulations Sacha, and good luck with your future!
 

The Northeastern College of Science Class of 2024 is gearing up for commencement! At this year’s graduation ceremony, Bishwarup Sarkar (Bish) will address his peers, delivering a final inspiring message. Eager to capture the anticipation of commencement, I spoke with Bishwarup to delve into his experiences at Northeastern and his post-graduation plans. 

Bish is originally from Pune, India, a city near Mumbai, and moved to Boston to complete his second master’s degree at Northeastern. After completing his bachelor’s and first master’s degree in microbiology in India, Bish realized that his academic journey was far from over. With a dream to eventually pursue a PhD, he wanted to gain work experience to complement his research background and his mentor, a previous postdoc at Northeastern suggested he look into Northeastern’s master’s program because of its uniqueness. 

“Typically, when international students consider studying in the U.S., they tend to apply to around eight or nine different colleges. For me it was just Northeastern, I only want Northeastern, nothing else,” he says. 

For the past two years, Bish has worked as a research assistant in the Antimicrobial Discovery Center (ADC), a lab led by Dr. Kim Lewis. He feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most talented and like-minded PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and research scientists during his two-year tenure at ADC. He also believes that the experience he gained working in the ADC has immensely helped him these past two years. Through his major, Bish completed a concentration in molecular biotechnology which included courses that were research-oriented but towards the side of industry which aligned with his goals to explore the world outside of academic lab research. Currently, he is completing his co-op at Moderna, where he is exploring the field of process development and RNA sciences.  

Bish’s recent industrial experience has shifted his perspective away from immediately pursuing a PhD upon graduating from Northeastern. This change stems from his ongoing pursuit of degrees over the past seven years. 

“I’m thinking I’ll work for a couple of years and explore more of the industry side of biotechnology and pharma science. I’m going to go for a PhD, it’s just a matter of time,” says Bishwarup. 

Outside of his academic life, Northeastern has provided a “home away from home”, which has been crucial for him as his family and friends are all in India: “Being here in Boston, I feel like I never left my hometown.” Even after visiting his family last December for the first time in two years, he found himself missing Boston. Some of Bish’s favorite spots in Boston are the Boston Public Library and the Charles River. Bish was able to find community at Northeastern through his background in Indian classical music. During his first semester, he auditioned and joined a couple of music groups, where he enjoyed attending events and making new friends. 

When asked if there was anything he’d say to his younger self who was just starting university as a freshman, Bish kept it simple: “Trust the process.”  

From working in labs, he learned the hard way that things never turn out the way you want it to be – 90% of the time.  

“In my academic career, be it in India or the U.S., I never seemed to land my first choice. I thought I wasn’t good enough, but every outcome always turned out to be the best option for me,” says Bish. 

Something did go his way though, and that is the opportunity to speak at this year’s graduation ceremony. This is the first time Bish is attending a graduation ceremony. After completing his bachelor’s, he had to move to another city for his first master’s which conflicted with his undergraduate graduation. Then the pandemic disrupted his master’s ceremony and eventually, he was in Boston when the ceremony finally happened. Bish revealed that his mother’s dream since he was a child had been to see him and his older brother in a cap and gown at a graduation ceremony. 

“Attending the COS graduation ceremony and the Fenway commencement is very emotional for me and my family. They are excited to see their younger brother and their kid stand up there on the podium, talk, and get his degree,” he says.  

Bish consistently attributes his achievements and success stories to the unwavering support and guidance he received from his family and friends. He’s extremely thankful to all his friends from his lab, classroom and his seniors who helped him every step of the way throughout his two-year journey at Northeastern. He’s particularly thrilled that his older brother can make it, as he’s been one of his biggest inspirations since childhood.  

Congratulations Bishwarup, the College of Science and the community at Northeastern looks forward to celebrating you and all your accomplishments. 

To wrap it up, here are some concluding remarks from Bishwarup:

“Trust the process. Make as many friends as possible. Live life and enjoy!!” 

Nicole Lee, a second-year Northeastern University student, grew up enjoying the outdoors in beautiful Marin County, California, and binge-watching David Attenborough’s series “Planet Earth.”

“That really inspired me to want to preserve the environment around me,” says Lee, who is majoring in environmental studies with a concentration in the green economy.

Lee wanted to find a co-op that paired her major with her desire for a job advancing sustainable practices and found a perfect match in Zero Waste San Diego, which promotes programs to reuse, repair and repurpose items to reduce waste and pollution.

“It really aligns with my major,” says Lee, who works as a marketing and program coordinator at the organization.

Read more from Northeastern Global News.

Photo courtesy of Nicole Lee.