Undergraduate Celebration
College of Science
Saturday, April 25, 2026
1:30 p.m. ET Leader Bank Pavilion
PROGRAM
Welcome
Missy McElligott
Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs
Dean’s Address
Brent Nelson
Interim Dean, College of Science
Student Address
Susanna Ovsepian
Recognition of Graduates
Missy McElligott
Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs
Closing Remarks
Missy McElligott
Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs
DEAN
Brent Nelson
Brent Nelson was appointed interim dean of the College of Science in 2025. Since 2017, he served as Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College, overseeing undergraduate curriculum, academic advising, and student success initiatives. His leadership contributed to significant achievements, including increasing undergraduate yield, expanding the Summer Bridge program for incoming underrepresented students, and establishing the Science Connects to Innovation Program, which empowers undergraduate science students to create entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges.
Nelson came to Northeastern in 2006 after having served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics in Ann Arbor, MI. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley under the supervision of National Academy member Mary K. Gaillard.
A professor of physics, Nelson is a theoretical particle physicist whose work connects string theory to testable observations in high energy physics and cosmology. His 60+ scholarly publications over the last 20 years include highly-cited research into hadron collider phenomenology, supersymmetric model building, dark matter phenomenology, mathematical physics, and computational approaches to string theory.
With colleagues at Northeastern University, Nelson established the rapidly growing field of machine learning applications in theoretical particle physics, including the use of network science to study the vacuum selection problem, and the use of reinforcement learning as a tool to study the string landscape.
STUDENT ADDRESS
Susanna Ovsepian
Susanna Ovsepian is graduating from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology on the pre-med track. She has gained extensive clinical experience at her co-op working as a medical assistant in interventional radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and as a medical assistant in pulmonary and critical care at Care New England.
In addition to her clinical work, Ovsepian has been involved in research in the Urogynecology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital focusing on healthcare disparities in woman, as well as Northeastern’s Institute for Cognitive and Brain Health, contributing to studies on the relationship between physical health and cognitive function.
Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, Ovsepian serves as vice president of the Armenian Students’ Association on campus and is actively involved in her cultural community. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and figure skating.
