Paula J. Olsiewski

Dr. Olsiewski joined the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2000 and serves as Program Director. Dr. Olsiewski is directing two programs at the Foundation- the Bioterrorsm program and the Indoor Environment program.

The goal of the bioterrorism program is to reduce the threat of bioterrorism. Since joining the Foundation in 2000, Dr. Olsiewski  has created a collaborative network from the public, private and government sectors that has become critical to the nation's civilian biodefense movement. The Foundation's bioterrorism program currently focuses on civilian terrorism preparedness and issues related to dangerous research in biotechnology.

The goal of the Indoor Environment program is to understand the human indoor environment at the microbial level.

Dr.. Olsiewski serves on numerous advisory committees and boards. She is a member of the MIT Corporation and was the President of the MIT Alumni/ae Association 2003-2004. She also is member of  Board of Trustees of Asphalt Green, Inc., and served as Chairman from 2000-2005.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Olsiewski has served in many capacities in the biotech and biomedical community. She directed the New York City Biotechnology Initiative, a state funded program under the auspices of the New York Biotechnology Association, to improve the region's ability to grow biotechnology companies by fostering relationships between academia and industry. She established and directed the technology licensing office at the Hospital for Special Surgery, an affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Olsiewski has served as a consultant on numerous projects, providing technical analysis of biomedical companies and technologies for investment banking groups and state economic development agencies. She worked for nine years at Enzo Biochem, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company, where she directed commercial development activities for a variety of in vitro diagnostic products.

Areas of Sloan Program Interest

• Science and Technology
• Theoretical Neurobiology
• Bioterrorism
• Indoor Environment