Olivia Long, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. She teaches Foundations of Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and other Biology classes. She is active in the Allegheny Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ABASM), Association for Women in Science (AWIS), National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) and serves as the North-East 3 Regional Director of Tri-Beta (a undergraduate biological honor society).
Her research interests include developing and utilizing C. elegans models of human diseases. Specifically, she is interested in identifying molecular modifiers of the disease Alpha-1 Antitrypsin, a common genetic disorder that affects ~ 1 in 2,000 Americans. Dr. Long has an active undergraduate research group that has worked on various projects and have presented their research at local, regional, and national conferences. Furthermore she is currently the PI for an National Science Foundation S-STEM grant titled "Science Learning Community Scholarship Project” in which she is researching what impacts different educational resources have on STEM students. Dr. Long is also actively researching in the field of increasing diversity in STEM, which has included her participation as a Diversity Fellow and recipient of a diversity grant in which she is investigating interdisciplinary teaching practices to expand diversity.
Dr. Long currently serves as the lead faculty advisor of Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society’s Theta Pi Chapter at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Please contact her if you have interest in joining after completion of an upper-level biology course with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Dr. Long is also the contact for students interested in Pre-Dentistry.
Currently on detail with the U.S. National Science Foundation as a Program Officer within the Division of Undergraduate Education.
