Notable Alumni of Tufts University

Tufts University, renowned for its rigorous academic environment and commitment to excellence, has cultivated a diverse array of accomplished alumni who have made significant contributions across various fields. From groundbreaking scientific discoveries to influential leadership positions, these individuals have left an indelible mark on the world. This article highlights some of the most notable alumni of Tufts University, showcasing their remarkable achievements and contributions.

Arts and Entertainment

Tufts University has a strong presence in the arts and entertainment industry, with several alumni achieving widespread recognition for their talents and contributions.

Jessica Biel

Jessica Biel is a prominent American actress and producer. She gained significant popularity for her role in the television series "7th Heaven." Biel graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television. Since then, she has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films, including "A-Team" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." In addition to her acting career, she co-founded the production company Iron Ocean with her husband, Justin Timberlake.

Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman is a celebrated American singer-songwriter known for her socially conscious music. Her debut album, released in 1988, earned her three Grammy Awards nominations. Chapman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Tufts University. Her music often addresses social and political issues, making her a powerful voice for disenfranchised communities.

William Hurt

William Hurt was a distinguished American actor known for his compelling and intricate performances. After graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, he gained recognition for his role in the film "Altered States." Hurt won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in "Kiss of the Spider Woman."

Rainn Wilson

Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director, is widely recognized 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

Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is 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

Peter Killian Gallagher is an American actor. 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.

Oliver Platt

Oliver Platt is an American actor known for his work on stage and screen. He has been nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award.

Dom DeLuise

Dominick DeLuise was 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.

Meredith Vieira

Meredith Louise Vieira is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. She is best known as the original moderator of the daytime talk show The View (1997-2006), the original host of the syndicated daytime version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (2002-2013), and as co-host of the NBC morning news program Today (2006-2011).

Science and Medicine

Tufts University has a long-standing tradition of excellence in science and medicine, producing numerous alumni who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.

Eugene F. Fama

Eugene F. Fama is a renowned American economist who has made substantial contributions to the field of finance. He conducted groundbreaking research on asset pricing and market efficiency after completing his doctoral studies in economics at the University of Chicago. Fama's work has significantly advanced our understanding of financial markets, earning him numerous accolades, including the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Roderick MacKinnon

Roderick MacKinnon is a distinguished American biochemist known for his groundbreaking research on ion channels. Following his doctoral studies in biochemistry, he conducted pioneering work on the structure and function of potassium ion channels. MacKinnon's research led to significant discoveries, including the first X-ray crystal structure of a potassium ion channel, earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Eric J. Rubin

Eric J. Rubin is a prominent infectious disease specialist and microbiologist. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. Rubin earned a Master of Medicine and a Postdoctoral degree from Tufts University. His research focuses on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. He has made significant contributions to understanding the pathophysiology of tuberculosis and developing innovative treatment techniques.

Read also: Exploring Tufts Athletics

Sean B. Carroll

Sean B. Carroll, GSB83, is an award-winning scientist, author, and educator at the forefront of the field of evolutionary developmental biology. After graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, he has made important contributions to the area of biology via his research and publications. Additionally, Carroll is a fervent supporter of scientific research and has been actively engaged in a variety of public outreach efforts.

Dr. Jane F. Desforges

Dr. Jane F. Desforges, M45 (1921-2013), was a renowned hematologist and an authority on anemia, specifically sickle-cell disease and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Ruth M. Easterling

Ruth M. Easterling, M21 (1898-1943), was 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. Dr. Easterling went on to work with Dr. William Augustus Hinton, the African-American physician who developed the Hinton test for syphilis in 1927.

Jonathan H. Epstein

Jonathan H. Epstein, V02, MPH02, is the associate vice president of conservation medicine and executive director of the Consortium, for Conservation Medicine based at EcoHealth Alliance. The consortium is the first formal inter-institutional partnership dedicated to linking ecology, conservation, and health.

Joseph B. Kirsner

Joseph B. Kirsner, M33 (1909-2012), was a pioneer in the field of gastroenterology and helped to establish the National Institutes of Health’s General Medicine Study Section.

David Littmann

David Littmann, M1929 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. Through many iterations, Dr. Littmann developed a stethoscope which has soft ear tips and a more resounding bell to enhance low-frequency sounds.

Katherine Luzuriaga

Katherine Luzuriaga, M84, is an immunologist who was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She and her team functionally cured a newborn of AIDS by giving anti-HIV drugs to the infant.

Basil A. Pruitt

Basil A. Pruitt, M57 (1930-2019), 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 and Awarded the 2008 King Faisal International Prize for Medicine.

Bessica Faith Medlar Raiche

Dr. Bessica Faith Medlar Raiche, M1903 (1875 - 1932) 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.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Tufts University alumni have also made significant strides in the world of business and entrepreneurship, founding successful companies and leading major organizations.

Brian Chesky

Brian Chesky, the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Airbnb, received his degree in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. He began his entrepreneurial journey by renting out air mattresses in his apartment, which eventually evolved into Airbnb, a global online marketplace for short-term rentals.

Pierre Omidyar

Pierre Morad Omidyar is a French-born Iranian-American billionaire. A technology entrepreneur, software engineer, and philanthropist, he is the founder of eBay, where he served as chairman from 1998 to 2015.

Jamie Dimon

James Dimon is an American businessman who has been the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of JPMorgan Chase since 2006.

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

Michael Dukakis was the Governor of Massachusetts for two terms. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate. Dukakis is also known for his progressive ideals and his unsuccessful candidacy for the presidency in 1988.

Jonathan Greenblatt

Jonathan Greenblatt is a prominent figure in social justice and the fight against hatred. He is the Chief Executive Officer and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization dedicated to combating antisemitism and ensuring justice for all. Greenblatt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Tufts University.

Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor is an Indian politician, writer, and former diplomat, who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. He was formerly an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and unsuccessfully ran for the post of Secretary-General in 2006.

Bill Richardson

William Blaine Richardson III was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an American politician, diplomat and social scientist. 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

Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. is 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.

Other Notable Alumni

In addition to the individuals mentioned above, numerous other Tufts University alumni have achieved notable success in various fields.

Barbara Delinsky

Earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1967 and went on to write 19 New York Times bestsellers.

David Costabile

The actor graduated in 1989 and has played supporting roles in more than 20 television shows. He plays Gale on "Breaking Bad" and Daniel Hardman on "Suits."

Dov Charney

Legend has it that 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.

Gregory Maguire

Received his Ph.D in English and American literature from Tufts and went on to publish "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" (1995), upon which the Broadway musical is based.

Kostas Karamanlis

The former prime minister of Greece earned his master's degree and Ph.D from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Leslie Gelb

President emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization that specializes in foreign policy and international affairs.

Michelle Kwan

An Olympic figure skater who took the silver medal in 1998 and bronze in 2002. She graduated from Fletcher in 2011.

Peter Roth

As the president and chief content officer of Warner Brothers Television, he helped develop the TV drama "The West Wing" after graduating in 1972.

Rick Hauck

The former fighter pilot and NASA astronaut received his degree in physics from Tufts in 1962, where he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.

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.

William Moulton Marston

A comic-book writer and creator of the character Wonder Woman.

Zander Kirkland

Carried the flag for Bermuda in the 2012 Olympics.

Mary L. Trump

Enrolled in Tufts University and Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English literature. She is an American psychologist and writer.

Stephen Macht

Stephen Robert Macht is an American television and film actor.

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