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BIO

Tiffany R. Olivera

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Welcome to our lab! My name is Tiffany Rocio Olivera, and I am a first-generation student entering my fourth year of my PhD in Chemistry. I was born and raised by my lovely parents in northern New Jersey, along with my three younger siblings. In May 2020, I earned two Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Chemistry and Biology, along with a minor in Applied Mathematics at New Jersey Institute of Technology. I then received the NSF funded B2D Fellowship to pursue my graduate studies at Rutgers University – Newark. I worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Chemistry for a year, and have now been awarded the NIH funded G-RISE Fellowship to continue my research.

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In my spare time, I act as a Co-Chair for the North Jersey American Chemical Society Younger Chemists Committee (NJACS YCC), am the thrice elected Rutgers-Newark Graduate Student Governing Association (GSGA) Senator, and serve as a board member on the Town of Kearny Board of Health.

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After I complete my doctoral degree, my goal is to work as a Research Scientist in the nanotechnology field at a national lab.

Fun Facts

  1. I am a long-distance swimmer.

  2. I play the alto-saxophone!

  3. I am currently watching “King of the Hill” and "Futurama" on Hulu.

  4. My current hobbies are sewing, crocheting, and gardening.

Research 

My first project is titled “Dynamic DNA Origami Nanoclock”. A novel technique called DNA Origami enables us to synthesize molecular nanostructures of almost any arbitrary shape by exploiting the double helical nature of DNA, utilizing one strand as the scaffold, and the second strand acting as individual staple strands that force the scaffold strand to conform into the desired structure. Applying strand displacement reactions (SDRs) upon a DNA Origami can cause dynamic movement and programmable direction to the structure. A DNA Origami Nanoclock was then designed using three 6-double helical DNA bundles for the 3D structure, where there are three subsections: an arm, a strut, and a ring. A second design was created to impose a DNA motor onto the arm, and fuel strands onto the ring to cause the arm of the Nanoclock to move about the ring through SDR. Data has been collected using various methods, like Gel Electrophoresis and Atomic Force Microscopy. Pursuing the construction and observation of this Nanoclock will aid in gaining insights into manipulating matter at the nanoscale level. Developing this self-assembled system will offer the ability to program smart dynamic nanorobots and promise potential applications in structural biology, nanorobotics, and drug delivery.

Get in Touch

E-mail:             tiffany.olivera@rutgers.edu

Linked-In:        linkedin.com/in/tiffany-olivera/

NJACS YCC:   njacs.org/younger-chemists-committee

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