CURRICULUM VITAE

Interests:
  • Sensory perception-related research

  • Interdisciplinary collaborations with different perspectives within and outside of neuroscience

  • Storytelling, immersive experience, world-building

  • Scientific writing and the impact and dynamics of popular and academic scientific publications

  • Making scientific information and concepts accessible to whomever is curious

  • Supporting diversity in the sciences, community building

  • The intersection of science and art

Speaking

EDUCATION

The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
September 2017 - present
David Rockefeller Graduate Program
Fellowships & Awards:
     Kavli Neural Systems Institute Graduate Fellow (2021)
     National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellowship Recipient (2019)
     Women & Science Graduate Fellow (2017)

Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY
September 2010 - May 2014
Major: Neuroscience & Behavior (Cellular concentration)
Honors: On Dean’s List for Fall 2010-Fall 2013

Highland Park Public High School, Highland Park, NJ
September 2006 - May 2010

olivia-kavli.jpg

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior

Graduate fellow (August 2018 - present)

Advisor: Dr. Leslie Vosshall
  • Investigating chemosensation in the mosquito Aedes aegypti and the neurobiological mechanisms of the insect repellant, DEET.

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Rotation #1: Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior (September 2017 - December 2017)

Advisors: Dr. Laura Duvall, Dr. Leslie Vosshall

  • Investigated the molecular neurobiology and behavior of mating and host-seeking in various species of mosquitoes.

Rotation #2: Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior (January 2018 - May 2018)

Advisors: Dr. Rory Coleman, Dr. Vanessa Ruta

  • Developed assays for investigating visually-mediated input in Drosophila courtship circuitry.

Rotation #3: Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Language, May 2018 - July 2018

Advisors: Greg Gedman, Dr. Erich Jarvis

  • Used next-generation sequencing to resolve cell type and activity patterns in songbird brain regions.

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Columbia University, Department of Neuroscience

Research Assistant (July 2014 - November 2016)
Advisor: Dr. Eleanor Simpson, lab of Nobel Prize winner Dr. Eric Kandel

  • Main project: Using behavioral pharmacology and microdialysis, investigated the impact of 5-HT2c receptor modulation on tonic dopamine changes in the midbrain during motivated behavior.
  • Other projects: Investigated neurogenesis in the striatum using different behavioral paradigms, rt-qPCR, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy.

  • Mentoring: Mentored one undergraduate student for two summers, one high school student for one summer, trained recently hired research assistants

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Barnard College of Columbia University, Department of Biology

Undergraduate Research Assistant (September 2011-May 2014)

Advisor: Dr. John Glendinning

  • Undergraduate Thesis Project: Performed in vivo electrophysiology in rats to investigate alterations in the peripheral taste system caused by fetal ethanol exposure. Developed procedures for accessing, recording from the lingual and glossopharyngeal nerve, stimulating sensory fields and analyzing data.
  • Funding: Through Columbia’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in Biological Sciences for Summer 2013. Gave oral and poster presentations.

  • Other Projects: Examined the role of oral stimulation of sweet taste in the release of insulin from the pancreas.

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Princeton University, Department of Molecular Biology

Undergraduate Research Assistant (Summer 2012)

Advisor: Dr. Amanda Crocker, Dr. Mala Murthy

  • Worked on the development of single-fly, appetitive-conditioning Drosophila melanogaster assay for measuring olfactory learning for the investigation of cellular memory traces.
  • Funding: Through Princeton’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in Molecular Biology for Summer 2012. Gave oral and poster presentations on summer project.

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Rutgers University, Department of Biology

High School Research Assistant (Summer 2009)

Advisor: Dr. Monica Driscoll

  • Assisted in manipulation of C. elegans genome using RNAi to increase longevity and vitality in old age.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Huber T, Goldman O, Epstein AE, Stella G, Sakmar TP. Principles and Practice of SARS-CoV-2 Decontamination of N95 Masks with UV-C. Biophyiscal Journal. 2021 March 3 (on medRxiv 2020 June 9). doi: 10.1101/2020.06.08.20125062.

Dennis EJ, Goldman OV, Vosshall LB. Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Use Their Legs to Sense DEET on Contact. Current Biology. 2019 May 6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.004.
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Bailey M, Goldman O, Bello E, Jeong N, Winiger V, Schipani E, Balsam P, Simpson E. An Interaction between Serotonin Receptor Signaling and Dopamine Enhances Goal-Directed Vigor and Persistence in Mice. Journal of Neuroscience. 2018 January 24. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2088-17.2018
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Glendinning JI, Stano S, Holter M, Azenkot T, Goldman O, Margolskee RF, Vesselli JR, Sclafani A. Sugar-induced cephalic-phase insulin release is mediated by a T1r2+T1r3-independent taste transduction pathway in mice. American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 2015 July 8. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00056.2015

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Laboratory Mentees
Ricarda von Heynitz          Undergraduate Research Assistant          Summer 2019
Jin Hee Yoo                         Undergraduate Research Assistant          Winter 2019
Priyanka Lakhiani              Graduate Rotation Student                        Winter/Spring 2020
Julia Deere                          Graduate Rotation Student                        Spring 2021
Rashaun Bennet                High School Intern                                       Summer 2021
Ahanaf Tajwar                    High School Intern                                       Summer 2021
Ashley Zeledon                  High School Intern                                       Summer 2021
Jacopo Razzauti                 Graduate Rotation Student                        Summer/Fall 2021

Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology & Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
Supplemental Instruction Leader, Barnard College of Columbia University
Semesters: Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012
Responsibilities Included: Assisting approx. 150 students each semester, planning and leading 3 discussion sessions per week, leading review sessions before exams, holding office hours

Molecular & Mendelian Genetics
Supplemental Instruction Leader, Barnard College of Columbia University
Semesters: Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
Responsibilities Included: Assisting approx. 30-60 students each semester, planning and leading 2-3 discussion sessions per week, leading review sessions before exams, holding office hours

Tutoring
2010 - 2017
I worked as a tutor for 7 years. I taught at middle school, high school, AP and college levels. I have tutored in subjected inluding Chemistry, Biology, Neuroscience, Algebra, History, as well as teaching organizational, time management and test-taking skills. In 2017, I worked as a Biology and Chemistry expert on the online question service, Sphere.

PRESENTATIONS

Scientific Research
Chemosensory coding in the Aedes aegypti tarsi. (October 2021, Janelia Mechanistic Cognitive Neuroscience Workshop)
Chemosensory coding in the Aedes aegypti tarsi. (August 2021, Rockefeller Postdoctoral Association Seminar Series)
Chemosensory coding in the Aedes aegypti tarsi. (April 2021, Rockefeller Invertebrate Supergroup)
Cracking the Mosquito Taste Code (July 2021, RockEDU/Summer Science Research Program, The Rockefeller University)
When mosquitoes don't suck: Investigating the chemosensory code of insect repellents. (September 2019, Rockefeller University Student Retreat)
Mosquitoes & The Sensory Encoding of Taste. The Family Room: Knowledge Share Night (August 2019, New York City)

Outreach
Applying to Graduate School (March 2020, CUNY Mexican Studies Institute)
Applying to Graduate School (January 2020, Creating STEM Mentors Day at Chandler Gilbert Community College, AZ)
Applying to Summer Research Programs (January 2020, STEM Professional Day at the American Museum of Natural History)

Virtual Reality
Stabilizing Parkinson’s Patients Tremors in VR. VR Day (November 2019, Live in AltSpace VR)
Mosquitoes vs. Humans. NYVR NYC Meet Up (Theme: Ethics) @ RLab (September 2019, New York City)
Mosquitoes vs. Humans. VR in Education Meet Up (September 2019, New York City)
Mosquitoes vs. Humans. Games for Change Festival 2019 (July 2019, New York City)
Open XR Project Workshop. Games for Change Festival 2020 (July 2020, Virtual)

OUTREACH & SERVICE

Científico Latino, Outreach organization
Co-Founder, Executive Co-Director (July 2017 - present)
An organization that aims to help undergraduate, graduate and professional students by providing resources on scholarships and fellowships, as well as blog posts on professional development. Co-directed guided mentorship initiative for over 100 underrepresented graduate school applicants in 2019, and over 400 students in 2020. (website)

NeuroStorm Journal Club, Columbia University/Rockefeller University
Organizer (July 2014 - September 2017), President (September 2017 - present)
A neuroscience think-tank that has been the birthplace of several companies and startups. Gathers in the form of weekly, interdisciplinary, student-run neuroscience journal club, with doctoral and post-doctoral members from labs across multiple departments of Columbia University and Rockefeller University.
Acquired funding: Kavli Neural Systems Institute, The Rockefeller University

BioAcCES 2020 Conference, Rockefeller University
Co-founder, Co-director (Summer/Fall 2019)
A virtual conference on October 3, 2020 for undergraduate students, co-hosted by RiSI, Científico Latino, and the Rockefeller Dean's Office of Graduate Studies. Featuring workshops on professional development as well as presentations and posters by undergraduates. 200+ attendees. (website)

COVID-19 Research Restart Officer, Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, Rockefeller University (May 2020 - August 2020)
Developed regulation and scheduling system for lab operations during initial re-opening phases for safe laboratory practices for preventing COVID-19 transmission.

Rockefeller Inclusive Science Initiative (RiSI), Rockefeller University Diversity Initiative
Website management, Communications Committee Member (April 2020 - present)
Serving on committee that coordinates campus-wide journal clubs and fireside chats on diversity, equality, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in science and academia. Maintain website.

Rockefeller University Student Retreat, Organizer
January 2019 - September 2019
Organized and gave a talk at Rockefeller's overnight student-run academic retreat for all graduate students (100+ attendees).

Graduate Women in Science, Non-profit organization
Fellowship committee member, Media contributor (November 2016 - 2018)
Selected as a committee member for determining awardees of the GWIS National Fellowships Program​, contributes content featuring prominent women scientists.

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Volunteer Music Program Founder, Coordinator
Fall 2011 - Fall 2015
Initiated a program for organizing performances in various units of the hospital (e.g., Adult Psychiatric, Detox, Geriatric Psych, Adult Rehab) by contacting performers and working as a liaison with hospital staff

ART & MEDIA

NeuroStorm Studios, Virtual Reality Company

Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer (June 2016 - February 2020)

A virtual reality and augmented content production company, whose mission is to increase empathy for persons with neurological disorders, to promote scientific accuracy in the arts, and to create accessible and inspiring content about science that is available to the mainstream population. (website)

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Good Vibrations (2019), Virtual Reality HealthTech Project

Creative officer & business development

Patients with Parkinson's disease endure constant shaking of their hands 24 hours a day for multiple years. We provide a technology where their hands no longer shake in VR. (website)

Awards: NY Media Lab Expo 2019 - Jury choice (medium article), XR Brain Jam - Best Research Application & Audience Choice

Presentations & Demos: NY Media Lab Expo Summit (9/19), VR in Healthcare expo at RLab (10/19), VR in Education Meet Up (presentation 10/19)

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Mosquitoes vs. Humans (2019), Virtual Reality Project

Creative director

A multiplayer VR game for the Oculus quest, where you play as either a NJ mosquito controller... or a mosquito. (website, short deck)

Awards: XR Brain Jam - Best Product Potential & Audience Choice

Presentations & Demos: NY Media Lab Expo Summit (9/19), Microsoft Playcraft Expo (10/19), VR in Education Meet Up (presentation 9/19), NYVR Meet Up (presentation 9/19)

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Beyond Perception, Immersive Virtual Reality Event Series

Event co-director, lead curator (January 2019 - May 2019)

A virtual reality pop-up lounge four-event series to create an accessible means for attendees to experience virtual reality. (website, short deck)


STROKE VR (2017), Virtual Reality Project

Co-Director, Writer

Based on a true story, a ground-breaking narrative virtual reality project from the point-of-view of a ten-year-old boy in Mongolia who has a stroke and then falls into a coma. (website, short deck)

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Enter the Box (2018), Virtual Reality Project

Co-Director, Writer

A VR playground/puzzle game that is a scalable Skinner box, a tool used by neuroscientists to study mouse behavior. It supports standard psychological tasks, but designed for human subjects. The game is within a narrative framework that allows human players to reflect on the nature and impact of operant conditioning. Created at the Games for Change XR Brain Jam 2018. (website, short deck)

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Shortynale Film Festival, Short film Festival

Virtual Reality Department Director (2017-2018)

A short film festival just outside of Vienna in Klosterneuburg, Austria. Established a "VR corner" with an array of content for first-time VR users and a projected screening of a first-time VR users point of view. (website)

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Pitter Patter Goes My Heart (2015), Short Film

Overseas Creative Liason

Short film directed by Christoph Rainer that has won awards and played at numerous prestigious film festivals including Max Ophüls Preis winner (Best Short Film), Vienna Independent Shorts (Youth Jury Prize), Shanghai Film Festival (Best Short Film Nominee). (IMDb page)

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Getting In (2015), Short Film

Actor (role of Tour Guide)

Short film directed by Stian Hafstad. (IMDb page)

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Worldmuse, Columbia University

Organizer, Musician (Spring 2011 - Spring 2016)

A musical ensemble that hosts workshops with musicians from around the world, and performs world music and original compositions in various venues in New York  City.

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The Nine Ways of Knowing Blog, Barnard College

Columnist (Spring 2011 - Spring 2014), Arts Editor (Spring 2011, Fall 2013 - Spring 2014), Senior Editor (Fall 2011 - Spring 2012), Editor-in-Chief (Fall 2012 - Spring 2013)

As editor-in-chief, more than doubled staff size and increased page views by over 500%; edited and uploaded daily content, organized responsibilities among staff members, assigned pitches to staff writers; responsibilities included web design, HTML and social media; helped found and gain Student Government recognition for student-run blog

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Columbia Science Review, Columbia University

Webmaster (Fall 2013 - Spring 2014), Writer (Fall 2013 - Spring 2014)

Conceptualized and executed alterations for website, uploaded blog content and responsible for maintenance, general executive board responsibilities (link to website)

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Jeunesses Musicales Croatia International Vocal Arts Workshop, Selected musician

Summer 2011
Accepted to and attended an interdisciplinary performing arts program and festival in Grožnjan, Croatia

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Barnard-Columbia Choir, Columbia University

Soprano I (Fall 2010 - Spring 2014)
Performed with L’ensemble Médical (German medical schools LMU and TMU) at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2011