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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 , Ph.D.

Postdoc

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. As a graduate student in Ruscetti Lab, he developed a novel mRNA-based immunotherapy strategy for pancreatic cancer. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2026, Dr. Parikh is now working to optimize and translate his novel mRNA-based immunotherapy cocktail into an effective therapeutic for pancreatic cancer patients
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
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
Lindsay Pramono, B.S.

Research Associate

B.S. UConn
Joined to the Ruscetti lab in 2026

Born to Indonesian immigrants, Lindsay grew up in Connecticut and studied health sciences at The University of Connecticut. Throughout that time, she worked in a lab focused on reproductive health using Drosophila Melanogaster along with being a part of a travel volunteer club. Lindsay has grown to find interest in the intricacies of various diseases, specifically cancer, and is excited to be able to dive into the mechanisms behind senescent cells and therapeutics.

Hobbies: Swimming, strength training, crocheting/crafting
George Briggs, B.S.

Research Associate

B.S. UMass Boston
Joined to the Ruscetti lab in 2026

Growing up right here in Worcester, George went on to complete his studies at UMass Boston. George is passionate about understanding cancers that are caused by genetic changes. His work focuses on building new animal models to better understand how these specific cancers develop and to help find new ways to treat them.

Hobbies: weightlifting, cooking, and writing
Felix Kahrl, B.S.

PREP Postbaccalaureate Scholar

B.A. and B.S. Western Washington University

Joined the Ruscetti lab in 2026

Felix grew up in beautiful Washington state and went on to study biology and French at Western Washington University. As an undergrad, he developed an interest in the immune system, especially the ability of cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. Currently, he is investigating how MYC, an infamous oncogene, may work with the DNA repair protein Rad21 to drive prostate cancer.

Hobbies: Hiking, reading, writing, fashion