RESEARCH INTERESTS
Olivia is excited to explore the tunability of polymer hydrogels for applications involving drug delivery. She aims to further develop dynamically cross-linked materials that suit their drug cargo and delivery needs on a molecular level.
EDUCATION
PhD, Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University - Expected 2024
BS, Materials Science & Engineering, MIT - June 2019
HONORS, AWARDS, and SCHOLARSHIPS
Reid Weaver Dennis Fellowship, Stanford University, 2019
Phi Beta Kappa, MIT, 2019
Tau Beta Pi, MIT, 2019
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, MIT, Feb 2018 - Jun 2019
Research Advisor: Prof. Niels Holten-Anderson
Olivia worked on the mechanical reinforcement of hydrogels via bio-inspired mineralization. She manipulated gel pH, covalent and ionic crosslinking, and mineral content, analyzing the effect of shear moduli via rheology.
3M Consumer Business Group, Jun 2018 - Aug 2018
Research Advisor: Dr. Irem Bolukbasi
Olivia manipulated polymer composite structure to create a non-scratch micropatterned abrasive and developed an oleophilic sponge coating to reduce drying time and bacterial growth.
CEA Leti France, GIANT Internship Program, Jun 2017 - Aug 2017
Research Advisor: Dr. Ahmed Gharbi
Olivia optimized procedures for directed self-assembly of block copolymers into sub 20 nm pillars for silicon lithography. This work has future applications developing single electron transistors.
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Sept 2016 - May 2017
Research Advisor: Prof. Julia Ortony
Olivia studied assembly dynamics of liposomes via EPR for use in bio-interfacing applications.
Department of Physics, UPenn, Jun 2016 - Aug 2016
Research Advisor: Prof. A.T. Charlie Johnson
Olivia worked to improve conductivity and sensitivity of graphene field effect transistors by introducing a shielding monolayer of hexagonal boron nitride. She developed growth methods for BN and performed chemical sensing for biological molecule detection using ssDNA.
ABOUT
Olivia comes from New Jersey but has been venturing away from her favorite beaches as she pursues a materials science and engineering education. She got her BS in MSE at MIT (and learned a lot of acronyms along the way), where she was happy to be a part of its wonderful dance community. Here at Stanford she is excited to continue studying MSE and its applications in medicine. Outside of lab, you will find Olivia doing various kinds of dancing, pretending to be a competent hiker, and cooking.