Welcome New Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Olivia Rose

Research Education and Training is excited to welcome Dr. Olivia Rose back to campus as a new postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Keiran Smalley in the Department of Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis. Olivia first visited campus as part of the inaugural cohort of the Moffitt Innovators of Tomorrow (MIOT) Symposium in May 2023.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs hosts the MIOT Symposium twice a year, each time bringing a cohort of 10 advanced doctoral researchers and recent graduates to campus to present their research, meet with Moffitt faculty and learn about postdoctoral fellowship opportunities.

The attendees are competitively selected and represent top emerging talent in basic science, quantitative science and population science cancer research. A large focus of the event is showcasing the collaborative research environment Moffitt offers, as well as the extensive scientific and professional support available to Moffitt postdocs through the Cores and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Olivia earned her PhD from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia under the direction of Dr. Cerasela Zoica Dinu in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering of Statler College. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs interviewed Olivia to learn more about her, her research and how the Innovators of Tomorrow Symposium helped launch her career in cancer research.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Go Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates!), and recommend to everyone to visit [Pittsburgh] at least once. The travel bug got to me when I was an undergraduate student, so I love to plan and go on various trips, both domestically and internationally. My hobbies outside of the lab include reading, cooking, baking, exercising, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends.

At West Virginia University you were working in the area of bioengineering and nanotechnology. Can you tell us a bit about your doctoral research project?

I synthesized and characterized (physically and chemically) nanoparticle hybrids called Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). I then evaluated their changes on cellular behavior in normal lung epithelial cells to investigate if the MOFs induced any deleterious effects, through both single-point and real-time techniques. The significance of my research is that the hybrids can be used in applications in both the biomedical field (i.e., drug delivery vehicles and contrast agents) as well as the industrial field (i.e., gas storage and catalysis).  Therefore, it is imperative to understand if they induce any negative effects before implementation into such applications. These hybrids are also tunable and if any negative effects are produced, their synthesis protocol can be tuned to help improve biocompatibility.

How did you become interested in a career in cancer research at Moffitt?

My interest in a career in cancer research stemmed back to when I was 19 years old and my grandfather, Rocco F. Esposito Jr., was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer. I wanted somehow to help him but knew nothing about cancer and what it entails, which started my drive and motivation to go into cancer research. It was further motivated when my cousin was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. Through this cousin, I found out about Moffitt since she is a patient here. When I was researching more about Moffitt and the different types of research projects that go on, I came across the MIOT Symposium. Reading about MIOT and its mission, I knew this was an excellent opportunity.

You were selected to attend the MIOT Symposium in May 2023 – can you tell us about your experience attending the Symposium, and how that helped you decide to accept a postdoctoral fellowship at Moffitt?

Attending the MIOT Symposium was a wonderful and beneficial experience. I was able to meet fellow MIOT participants from around the country/world and learn about what they are currently working on in their PhD studies. Furthermore, learning about and touring all the resources available to Moffitt researchers was truly impressive. In addition, meeting one-on-one with different Principal Investigators was an excellent opportunity to further ask them questions about their lab, research, etc. The MIOT Symposium was the bridge that helped me make a connection with my current mentor, Dr. Keiran Smalley, to be accepted as a postdoctoral fellow in his lab.

What are you most looking forward to about your life in Tampa?

I have visited Tampa since I was little because I have had family reside here before I was even born. Therefore, I am excited to be able to see my Tampa family more frequently, as well as go to both Disney World and Universal (and maybe become an annual passholder?). I am excited to see what this journey in Tampa will bring me!