Senior Thesis Award winners announced

Dedicated to developing the leaders of tomorrow, Tufts University proudly announces the establishment of the Honors Thesis Prize, a new award, created through the generosity of an anonymous donor, celebrates an exceptional undergraduate thesis from each department within the School of Engineering. Four deserving engineering students have been selected as the inaugural recipients, each earning a prize and a certificate for their outstanding work. Discover this year's recipients below.

Biomedical Engineering

Nery A. Matias Calmo, E25
Thesis Title: AI-Based Computer Vision Analysis of Pulmonary Arterial Microvasculature in Interstitial Lung Disease using Endobronchial Optical Coherence Tomography  
Advisor: Tiampo Family Assistant Professor Srivalleesha Mallidi

Chemical and Biological Engineering

David Gillingham, E25
Thesis Title: Realization of Genetic Code Expansion in Display Mediated Cell-Cell Interactions
Advisor: Associate Professor James Van Deventer

Mechanical Engineering

Nico Moldovean, E25
Thesis Title: It IS Rocket Science: System-Wide Sounding Rocket Optimization via Requirements Management and Engineering Design in Support of the Tufts SEDS Rocketry Team's 2025 IREC Entry
Advisor: Professor Doug Matson

Computer Science

Prithvi Singh Shahani, E25
Thesis Title: Noise Injection Systemically Degrades Large Language Model Safety Guardrails
Advisors: Karol Family Applied Technology Professor Matthias Scheutz and Research Assistant Professor Vasanth Sarathy

Congratulations to this year’s Honors Thesis Prize recipients!