Sarah Olson

Sarah D. Olson is Professor and William Steur Professor & Department Head of Mathematical Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), with joint appointments in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology and Biomedical Engineering. As the first woman to lead the Mathematical Sciences department in WPI's 156-year history, she focuses on teaching foundational mathematics while advancing computational methods and interdisciplinary research.

• Research Interests: Mathematical Biology, Computational Biofluids, Scientific Computing, and Biophysics
• Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2015), Fulbright Faculty Scholar Award (2018)
• Education: BA in Mathematics (Providence College, 2003), MS in Applied Mathematics (University of Rhode Island, 2005), PhD in Applied Mathematics (North Carolina State University, 2008)

Her work bridges mathematical modeling with biological applications, particularly in cellular motility and reproductive biology. She emphasizes nurturing junior faculty and enhancing WPI's culture of diversity through programs like the STEM Faculty Launch Workshop. Olson serves as a mentor for Major Qualifying Project teams, PhD students, and postdocs.

Scientific Contributions:

• Developed computational frameworks for micro-swimmers and regularized Stokeslets with error analysis
• Explored cortical dynein's role in centrosome clustering and spindle dynamics
• Created hybrid models for cartilage regeneration and environmental coupling
• Advanced Bayesian uncertainty quantification methods for biofluid simulations

Her research has been supported by NIH funding for cancer-related computational modeling and NSF grants. Olson's recent publications demonstrate expertise in fluid-structure interactions, cell dynamics, and numerical methods.