The Team

The DeLTA lab believes diverse upbringings and perspectives cultivate an enriched environment for scientific discovery to occur, and therefore, we prioritize upholding a safe, accessible, inclusive, and equitable environment for all across the spectrum of identities and lived experiences.

Alberto de la Torre (he/him/el)

Assistant Professor

Quantum Materials and Sensing Institute

Building V, 147 South Bedford Street Burlington, MA 01803

a.delatorreduran at northeastern.edu

Alberto received his PhD in December 2015 from the Universite de Geneve, Switzerland. After two Postdoctoral stints at Caltech and Brown University, Alberto joined Northeastern University as an Assistant Professor in June 2023. Alberto is also a Guest Researcher at the Material Science Department of Argonne National Lab.

C.V.

Graduate students

James McMillen

Ph. D. Student

mcmillen.j at northeastern.edu

James graduated from the University of Missouri in Spring 2023 with a double major in Physics and Mathematics. His research interests focus on quantum materials and their technological applications. Outside of his academic work, James enjoys running and rooting for the Detroit Lions and Red Wings.

Edward (Teddy) Mercer

Ph. D. Student

ed.mercer at northeastern.edu

GitHub

Teddy graduated from Dickinson College (spring 2023, physics and mathematics double major). He was part of a NSF-funded research experience in quantum and material physics (Borys Lab MSU). Teddy enjoys running, golfing and spending time outside.

Sara Moezzi

Ph. D. Student

moezzi.m at northeastern.edu

Sara holds a M.Sc. Physics from the University of Windsor, Canada. Prior to joining the lab, she worked in Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT), Quantum Optics, Atomic Clusters, and Quantum Information Processing.

Liam Schmidt

Ph. D. Student

li.schmidt at northeastern.edu

Personal website

Liam graduated from Binghamton University in 2023 with honors degrees in Mathematical Physics and Mathematical Sciences. His research focuses on advancing ultrafast spectroscopy and scattering techniques to investigate quantum magnets and unconventional superconductors. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys playing tennis, exploring nature, and advocating for accessible, equitable, and inclusive science.

Allecia Dodd-Noble

Ph. D. Student

doddnoble.a at northeastern.edu

Undergraduate students

Faith Degawa

Undergrad Student

degawa.f at northeastern.edu

Faith is an Electrical and Computer Engineering major. She is a member of NU Wireless and a Red Vest at NUCOE FYELIC. Faith is interested in embedded systems design and enjoys cooking, cars, anthropology, and Google Calendar.

Alexandra Kolefas

Undergrad Student

kolefas.a at northeastern.edu

Alex is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying physics with minors in computer science and math. Alex is interested in X-ray spectroscopy, quantum superconductors, and electronics. Her hobbies include crocheting, playing chess, and exploring the Boston area.

Deirdre O'Neill

Undergrad Student

oneill.de at northeastern.edu

Deirdre is a Biochemistry major with a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. She is interested in spectroscopy, organic synthesis, and music. Deirdre is a member of NU Sci and Biochemistry Club.

Andrei Oprea

Undergrad Student

oprea.a at northeastern.edu

Andrei is a first-year undergraduate student at Northeastern studying physics. Andrei is interested in the applications of condensed matter physics and quantum mechanics to classical and quantum computing. Andrei's hobbies include outdoor sports, reading, and playing video games.