Brad Olsen

Brad Olsen is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), affiliated with the School of Engineering. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT (2003) and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley (2007). Prior to his faculty role, he conducted postdoctoral research at Caltech under Professors David Tirrell, Julia Kornfield, and Zhen-Gang Wang.

• Education:
  • S.B. in Chemical Engineering, MIT (2003)
  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, UC Berkeley (2007)
• Research Focus:
  • Soft condensed matter physics
  • Biomaterials and polymer science
  • Self-assembly in protein nanostructures
  • Green chemistry via biosynthesis
  • Applications in biotechnology and energy
• Scientific Honors:
  • Alpha Chi Sigma Award
  • Goldwater Scholarship
  • Hertz Fellow
  • Tau Beta Pi Fellow
  • Padden Award Finalist (American Physical Society, 2008)

Professor Olsen’s work bridges polymer physics, materials science, and biotechnology, emphasizing the use of biological systems for sustainable material design. His early research explored polymerization kinetics and hydrophobic coatings, followed by foundational studies on rod-coil block copolymers during his Ph.D. At Caltech, he investigated protein-based hydrogels for injectable biomaterials. He continues to advance the physics of complex polymers and nanostructures in modern applications.