Notable Alumni of Tufts University
Tufts University, renowned for its rigorous academic programs and commitment to excellence, has fostered a diverse array of accomplished alumni who have made significant contributions across various fields. From pioneering scientific discoveries to influential leadership roles, these individuals have left an indelible mark on the world.
Arts and Entertainment
Tufts University boasts a strong presence in the arts and entertainment industry, with alumni achieving recognition in acting, music, and comedy.
Jessica Biel: A well-known actress and producer, Jessica Biel gained prominence for her role in the television series "7th Heaven." She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television from Tufts University. Since then, Biel has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films, including "A-Team" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." She also co-founded the production company Iron Ocean with her husband, Justin Timberlake.
Tracy Chapman: An acclaimed American singer-songwriter, Tracy Chapman is celebrated for her socially conscious music. A graduate of Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology, Chapman's music often addresses social and political issues, giving voice to marginalized communities. Her debut album, released in 1988, earned her three Grammy Awards nominations.
William Hurt: A celebrated American actor known for his compelling and intricate performances, William Hurt earned a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Tufts University. He gained widespread recognition for his role in the film "Altered States." Hurt received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in "Kiss of the Spider Woman."
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Rainn Wilson: An American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director, Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of The Office (2005-2013), for which he received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Hank Azaria: An American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing many characters in the long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons since 1989, including Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy, Snake Jailbird, Professor Frink, Kirk Van Houten, Duffman, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Lou, Carl Carlson, among others. For his work on the show, he has won four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Peter Gallagher: An American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007, and recurring roles in television such as Deputy Chief William Dodds on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Stacey Koons on the Showtime comedy-drama Californication, Nick on the Netflix series Grace & Frankie, and Director of Clandestine Services (DCS) Arthur Campbell on Covert Affairs.
Dom DeLuise: An American actor, comedian, director, chef, and author. Known primarily for comedy roles, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety shows.
Dan Avidan: Also known by his stage name Danny Sexbang, is an American musician, internet personality, comedian, and actor. He is one half of the musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party with Brian Wecht, as well as the co-host of the Let's Play webseries Game Grumps with Arin Hanson.
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Science and Medicine
Tufts University has a long-standing tradition of excellence in science and medicine, producing numerous alumni who have made groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in their respective fields.
Robert E. Braun: With a PhD in Microbiology earned in 1985, Robert E. Braun has significantly advanced the understanding of genetic control in spermatid development. As the Janeway Distinguished Chair and Professor of Mammalian Genetics at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), he leads the NIH Knockout Mouse Project. Previously, he served as Vice President of Research at JAX.
Peter H. Brodeur: Peter H. Brodeur, PhD 1980 (Immunology) is Founding Chair and Professor of the Department of Medical Education at Tufts School of Medicine and an active volunteer serving on the university’s Alumni Association Council. As a post doc at Fox Chase Center in Philadelphia he made discoveries in B cell development, work which he continued in his lab in the Department of Pathology at Tufts.
Sean B. Carroll: With a PhD in Immunology obtained in 1983, Sean B. Carroll is an internationally recognized evolutionary biologist and science communicator. His research focuses on the genes that control animal body patterns and their role in the evolution of animal diversity. Carroll has received numerous accolades, including the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences and the Stephen Jay Gould Prize.
Margaret I. Johnston: Margaret I. Johnston, PhD 1977 (Biochemistry), is a globally renowned researcher and a pivotal leader in HIV/AIDS therapeutics, vaccine, and prevention research and development. Now an independent consultant, she previously served as Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing the HIV team’s advanced clinical development grant portfolio.
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Jeffery F. Miller: Jeffery F. Miller, PhD 1986 (Microbiology), the Fred Kavli Endowed Chair in NanoSystems Sciences and Director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, is widely recognized for his work in molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis and the evolution of functional diversity in bacteria and phage.
Jennifer Nwankwo: Jennifer Nwankwo, PhD 2016 (Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics) is an innovator and biotech entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of 1910 Genetics, a biopharma focused on accelerating the design of small molecule therapeutics that she launched in 2021 after raising $26 million in venture funding.
Karen M. Puopolo: Karen M. Puopolo, MD, PhD 1993 (Medicine & Cellular & Molecular Physiology) is a national leader in neonatology who has significantly affected the health and wellness of countless newborns worldwide thanks to her co-development of a calculator to estimate the risk of sepsis in neonatal patients to avoid the unnecessary use of antibiotics.
Lalita Ramakrishnan: Lalita Ramakrishnan, PhD 1990 (Immunology) is a widely-recognized researcher in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis whose work is yielding deeper understandings of the basic biology of TB, and new approaches in clinical treatment.
Eric J. Rubin: Eric J. Rubin, MD, PhD 1990 (Medicine and Microbiology) has complemented his career as a basic scientist in tuberculosis and an infectious disease clinician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital with a career in publishing, having held editorial roles at prominent basic science journals such as PLoS Pathogens, Tuberculosis and mBio. In 2019, he achieved the pinnacle post as Editor-in-Chief of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Gregory J. Sieczkiewicz: Gregory J. Sieczkiewicz, JD, PhD 2000 (Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology) has been instrumental in translating countless transformative technologies into commercially impactful biomedicines and devices over his career, most recently as Managing Director and Chief IP Counsel at MPM Capital, a biotechnology investment firm based in Cambridge, MA and as founder/CEO of two law firms.
Lynn L. Silver: Lynn L. Silver, PhD 1975 (Microbiology) is a former senior investigator and group leader at Merck Research Laboratories. With over 7,000 citations of her 70 plus peer-reviewed publications and high demand as a reviewer and speaker, she is a recognized expert in antibacterial discovery and preclinical development.
Hillel I. Sims: Hillel I. Sims, PhD 2008 (Genetics), is a researcher and educational leader dedicated to the success of all students. As Associate Vice President of Workforce Development at Roxbury Community College (RCC), and formerly Dean of STEM and Director of Science Laboratories at RCC, he has innovated across the board to expand opportunities and horizons for students under-represented in science.
Frank J. Slack: Frank J. Slack, PhD 1993 (Microbiology) has been unlocking the possibilities of microRNA since his post doc days at Harvard and later, while at Yale, he was part of the team that discovered the role of microRNAs in regulating key human oncogenes, and their potential as therapeutics.
John Q. Trojanowski: John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD, 1976 (Medicine & Anatomy) (1946-2022) was among the foremost pioneers in the fields of aging, neuroscience, neuropathology, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Joanne Barnes Weidhaas: Joanne Barnes Weidhaas, MD, PhD 1999 (Medicine & Microbiology), is bringing the promise and potential of personalized medicine in cancer prevention and treatment closer thanks to her discoveries in microRNA including a new class of genetic biomarkers that predict both cancer risk and responses to cancer therapy.
Roderick MacKinnon: A well-known biochemist, Roderick MacKinnon has made major contributions to the area of study pertaining to ion channels. Following the completion of his doctoral studies in biochemistry, he went on to carry out ground-breaking research related to the structure and function of potassium ion channels. MacKinnon’s work has resulted in a number of important discoveries, such as the first X-ray crystal structure of a potassium ion channel. Additionally, his work has garnered him a number of awards, including the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Katherine Luzuriaga: An immunologist who was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2013. She and her team - including pediatrician Hannah Gay of the University of Mississippi and virologist Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center - functionally cured a newborn of AIDS by giving anti-HIV drugs to the infant.
Jane F. Desforges: A renowned hematologist and an authority on anemia, specifically sickle-cell disease and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Ruth M. Easterling: One of only two women admitted to Tufts School of Medicine in 1917. She was also one of the first black women admitted in the program.
Joseph B. Kirsner: A pioneer in the field of gastroenterology and helped to establish the National Institutes of Health’s General Medicine Study Section.
David Littmann: Determined, throughout a long career as a successful cardiologist, that his “perfect stethoscope” should be able to detect low-pitched sound. In 1967, Dr. Littmann took on an advisory role with 3M and began redesigning the modern stethoscope.
Basil A. Pruitt: Has been called "the father of modern burn care." He helped to develop an anti-bacterial cream that led to a dramatic increase in the survival rate of patients in burn units.
Bessica Faith Medlar Raiche: Was declared to be The First Woman Aviator in America by The Aeronautical Society. She took her first solo flight in 1910 in a plane that she and her husband built.
Gloria White-Hammond: Is the founder of the church-based creative writing and mentoring ministry, "Do the Write thing" for high-risk adolescent females.
Business and Entrepreneurship
Tufts University alumni have also achieved success in the world of business and entrepreneurship, founding innovative companies and leading major corporations.
Brian Chesky: The Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Airbnb, received his degree in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Beginning with a simple concept, he started his path from industrial design to becoming a leader in the technology business by renting out air mattresses from his residence. As time went on, this concept ultimately developed into Airbnb, a worldwide internet marketplace for short-term apartment rentals.
Pierre Omidyar: The founder and chairman of eBay graduated in 1988 with a degree in computer science.
Dov Charney: The founder and CEO of American Apparel started the retail business out of his dorm room at Tufts.
Ellen Kullman: The former director of General Motors graduated in 1978 with a degree in mechanical engineering and currently serves on the university's Board of Trustees.
Roy Raymond: The founder of Victoria's Secret graduated from Tufts and within the first five years of business made a gross profit of $6 million per year.
Jamie Dimon: An American businessman who has been the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of JPMorgan Chase since 2006.
Anthony Scaramucci: An American financier who briefly served as the White House Director of Communications from July 21 to July 31, 2017.
Ness Wadia: An Indian businessman. Wadia is the managing director of Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, a company which has holdings in most of the Wadia Group subsidiaries, including an indirect majority stake in Britannia Industries. He was the Joint Managing Director of Bombay Dyeing, the flagship company of the Wadia Group, till March 2011 when he stepped down from the post. Wadia is a co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Punjab Kings.
Politics and Public Service
Tufts University has a strong tradition of producing leaders in politics and public service, with alumni serving in various government positions and advocating for social justice.
Michael Dukakis: A well-known politician in the United States, Michael Dukakis was the Governor of Massachusetts for a total of two terms. Following his graduation from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, he went on to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as well as the Massachusetts Senate. In addition to his failed candidacy for the presidency in 1988, Dukakis is well-known for his promotion of progressive ideals.
Jonathan Greenblatt: Having graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Jonathan Greenblatt is a well-known personality in the area of social justice and the fight against hatred. Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a major organization that is committed to opposing antisemitism and ensuring justice for everyone. He presently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and National Director of the ADL.
Bill Richardson: An American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan: An American politician, diplomat and social scientist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 after serving as an adviser to President Richard Nixon, and as the United States' ambassador to India and to the United Nations.
Joseph F. Dunford, Jr: A retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2019. He was the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps.
Juan Manuel Santos: A Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
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