Six graduating seniors in our MCB, Chemical and Physical Biology (CPB), and Neuroscience concentrations have received the prestigious Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize. These prizes, which carry a $5,000 award, honor exceptional undergraduate theses that combine originality, depth, and scholarly rigor. In addition to winning the Hoopes Prize, CPB concentrator Camilla Freedman also received the Henderson Prize from the Board of Tutors in Biochemical Sciences. This year’s prize recipients have conducted wide-ranging and impactful research—from uncovering mechanisms of cancer development and auditory plasticity to engineering next-generation cancer therapeutics.
MCB Concentrators
Cristina DeMeo (Rubin Lab)
Cristina DeMeo’s research in Lee Rubin’s lab explores how the gut microbiome contributes to age-related neurodegenerative diseases, with an eye toward future therapeutics. Motivated by a personal connection to ALS, which has affected her family, Cristina sought to better understand the onset of neurodegeneration and how it might be prevented or delayed. Her work in the Rubin Lab has helped illuminate the role of aging and microbial dynamics in ALS and related conditions. Cristina expresses deep gratitude to her mentors—Dr. Caterina Gasperini, Dr. Lee Rubin, lab administrator Jane Lalonde, and research assistant Mahitha Juttu—as well as to her family, Harvard’s track and field and cross country teams, and the community at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter for their unwavering support.
Dicle Ezgi Ekinci (Woo Lab)
Dicle Ekinci conducted her thesis research in Professor Christina Woo’s lab, where she focused on the design and synthesis of small molecules known as “molecular glues” to target oncoproteins for degradation. Dicle synthesized 760 novel compounds and identified 35 candidates with promising anti-cancer activity in lung and ovarian cancer cell lines. Her thesis lays the groundwork for developing more selective and effective cancer therapeutics, including small molecules that she appreciates as having the potential to yield therapeutics that can save lives. Dicle thanks Professor Woo, and mentors Dr. Nandini Vallavoju, Angel Ni, and Professor Rachelle Gaudet for their invaluable guidance, along with her family and friends for their enduring support. She also offers many thanks to Dr. Dominic Mao and Dr. Monique Brewster for holding thesis workshops along the way.
Brice Laurent (Naxerova Lab, HMS)
Brice Laurent’s thesis in the Kamila Naxerova lab examined how somatic mutations accumulate and interact in normal tissues to potentially initiate cancer. By analyzing over 245,000 whole-genome sequences and developing mathematical models, Brice uncovered how certain mutations—including SRSF2-P95H and SF3B1-K700E—can synergize with others to drive cell proliferation. His work offers a new framework for understanding cancer’s earliest stages and
has potential implications for early detection and prevention. Brice credits his success to the mentorship of Drs. Kamila Naxerova, David Cheek, and Alexander Gorelick, who exposed him to the power of integrating biology with statistics. He also acknowledges early encouragement from Drs. Amy Wagers and Özge Vargel Bölükbaşı as well as past and present members of the Naxerova lab.
PK Vincze (Dulac Lab)
PK Vincze’s research in Catherine Dulac’s lab, investigates how inflammatory states influence social behavior in mice. Collaborating closely with postdoc mentor Zuri Sullivan, PK helped develop experimental models to study how immune signals affect neuronal circuits in the hypothalamus during sickness. Motivated by a deep interest in the intersection of neuroscience and immunology, PK explored how behaviors like social withdrawal and fever arise during infection. PK credits Dulac and Sullivan for fostering her intellectual growth—encouraging creativity, independence, and collaboration—and is honored to have received a Hoopes Prize in recognition of this work. She is also grateful to the rest of the Dulac Lab, her collaborators at the Jeffrey Moffitt Lab at HMS, the Sebastian Lourido Lab at MIT, and Jacob Andreas at MIT, along with her family and friends.
CPB Concentrator
Camille Freedman (Gaudet Lab)
Camille Freedman explored how cells distinguish between nearly identical metal ions—manganese (Mn²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺)—in her thesis research in Professor Rachelle Gaudet’s lab. Fascinated by membrane transporters since her first semester at Harvard, Camille developed high-throughput tools to measure metal uptake in E. coli and analyzed thousands of protein variants to uncover how transporter sequences encode metal specificity. Her findings reveal that even subtle sequence changes, both within and beyond the metal-binding site, can influence ion selectivity—offering insights into how proteins evolve highly specialized biochemical functions. Camille is thankful to everyone in the Gaudet Lab, including her CPB advisors, Dr. Dominic Mao and Dr. Monique Brewster, and her tutor, Professor Mélissa Léger-Abraham.
Neuroscience Concentrator
Elliot Chin (Takesian Lab, Mass Eye and Ear)
Elliot Chin’s thesis in the Anne Takesian Lab explored the plasticity of the auditory cortex through the development of computational and statistical methods. His work analyzed how neuronal responses to sound shift over time and across physiological states, like estrus, using rotational dynamics and statistical tests he designed. Elliot’s findings revealed structured neural drift and context-specific sound representation—insights that could inform treatments for auditory disorders. A joint concentrator in neuroscience and statistics, he never anticipated studying neuroscience before college. Only after taking Jeff Lichtman’s Neuro 80 course in his sophomore year – an experience he describes as absolutely engrossing – did Elliot join the concentration. He thanks Professors Anne Takesian and Subhabrata Sen, Dr. Zahra Ghasemahmad, and Dr. Maryse Thomas for their mentorship. He attributes this recognition to the incredible support of his mentors throughout the thesis process.
