Olivia Graeve


Olivia Graeve is a mechanical and aerospace engineer and Professor at University of California, San Diego. She is also the Director of the newly formed Cali-Baja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems at UCSD — a binational research institute on both sides of the California-Mexico border.

Education and early career

Graeve was born and raised in Tijuana, the oldest of five children. She first attended Southwestern Community College for two years before transferring to the University of California, San Diego, where she received her Bachelor of Science in structural engineering in 1995. There, she received mentorship from Joanna McKittrick, the second woman to join the engineering faculty at UCSD. She then received her doctoral degree in material science and engineering from the University of California, Davis in 2001.
Following graduate school, she was hired as an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. In 2008, she moved to New York to become an Associate Professor at Alfred University before returning to University of California, San Diego as a Professor.

Research

Graeve was the first Latina engineering professor to be hired at UCSD. Her research program centers on the design and processing of new materials that are fit for extreme environments, such as those experienced in outer space or in nuclear reactors. Among the materials her research group has engineers is a type of steel, called SAM2X5-630, with record-breaking resistance to deformations due to heavy impacts. The material has an unusual chemical structure that is elastic yet incredibly strong, making it potentially useful for applications like body armor and protective encasings for satellites.

Cali-Baja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems

Graeve currently serves as the Director of the Cali-Baja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems at UCSD. The Institute was established under Graeve's direction on May 24, 2016 as a collaboration between researchers at UCSD and National Autonomous University of Mexico. Faculty and students from both institutions will work together to develop materials that can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures, leading to innovations in the development of jet turbines and nuclear reactors. In addition, the Center is meant to advance the education and training of engineers who can work on both sides of the border.

Outreach and public service

Graeve has been an advocate for bi-national collaboration between Americans and Mexicans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. She is the driving force behind the Cali-Baja Education Consortium, which is a collaborative effort bringing together 13 institutions in Baja California and UCSD. Faculty across these institutions will collaborate on scientific research and education curriculum that will serve students on both sides of the border. For example, high school and college students can participate in a program called Enlace, a seven-week program for students from both sides of the California-Mexico.

Awards and honors