Tufts Students Receive Goldwater Scholarships

Two Tufts students have received one-year Goldwater Scholarships, which are awarded to sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

The scholarship recipients are Julian Sutaria, A27, and Sofia Movafaghi, A27.

Sutaria is a junior majoring in engineering physics who has worked with Cristian Staii, associate professor of physics and astronomy, Ph.D. student Udathari Kumarasinghe, Ying Chen, research associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Peggy Cebe, professor emerita of physics and astronomy. He aims to pursue a Ph.D. in biophysics and conduct research at the intersection of physics and biomedical engineering.

During the summer of 2025, Sutaria carried out research in atomic force microscopy with future applications in neuroscience as part of the Summer Scholars Programat Tufts.

"It is very exciting to be recognized as a Goldwater Scholar," Sutaria said. "It gives me the confidence and motivation to continue developing research skills in the pursuit of a career in science."

Movafaghi is a junior majoring in biology who has worked with White Family Chair in Biology Sergei Mirkinand molecular biology graduate student Nicholas Mandel. She hopes to earn a doctorate in biology so she can become a molecular geneticist and professor, leading her own lab to study the factors driving rare genetic diseases.

As an undergraduate student ambassadorfor the biology department, Movafaghi mentors peers on navigating the biology major and research opportunities within the department. She was awarded a Russell L. Carpenter Summer Internshipto conduct research in the summer of 2025.

Movafaghi is a co-author on a Nature Communicationspublication and is working on a second manuscript for submission. She has also been a teaching assistant in biology classes, including head teaching assistant for General Genetics.

"It's an honor to have received a Goldwater Scholarship," she said. "I hope my experience inspires other budding scientists to ask hard questions, find new ways to answer them, and ultimately pursue their dreams as I have."