Lisa Olshansky

Dr. Lisa Olshansky is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She leads the Olshansky Lab, which focuses on bioinspired inorganic chemistry and biomimetic systems to control metal ion reactivity through structural dynamics. Her work integrates synthetic, physical, and biochemical approaches to develop applications in renewable energy and biomedical research.

Education: B.S. in Chemistry (UC San Diego, 2009); Ph.D. in Chemistry (MIT, 2015, advised by Profs. Daniel Nocera and JoAnne Stubbe). Postdoctoral research with Prof. Andy Borovik at UC Irvine (ACS Irving S. Sigal Fellow). Joined UIUC faculty in 2018.

Research interests include designing switchable artificial metalloproteins, conformational control of redox properties, and energy conversion mechanisms. Her lab emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and mentoring diverse students.

• Awards: Sloan Research Fellow (2025), Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar (2024), Paul Saltman Young Investigator (2024), DOE Early Career Award (2022–2027), Cottrell Scholar (2022–2025), among others.
• Projects: Development of rare earth metalloproteins, conformationally gated optoelectronic systems, and C² initiative for diversity in chemical sciences.
• Affiliations: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, Materials Research Laboratory.

Olshansky’s research bridges bioinorganic chemistry and renewable energy, with a focus on leveraging structural dynamics to engineer novel functional materials.