Olivia A. Graeve

Prof. Graeve joined the University of California, San Diego, in 2012, and is currently Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Director of the CaliBaja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems, and Faculty Director of the IDEA Engineering Student Center.  She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor’s degree in Structural Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.  Her area of research focuses on fundamental studies of the design, synthesis and processing of new materials for extreme environments (ultra-high temperatures, radiation, impact). 

She has served on numerous committees and panels in many different capacities and actively participates in organizing national and international conferences, as well as serving on various review boards and advisory panels.  She has also been involved in many activities related to the recruitment and retention of women and Hispanic students in science and engineering and has received several prestigious awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the 2006 Hispanic Educator of the Year award by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the 2010 Karl Schwartzwalder Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering Award by The American Ceramic Society, the 2012 B.J. Harrington Lectureship by McGill University, the 2011 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers “Jaime Oaxaca” Award, Outstanding Engineering Educator by the San Diego Chapter of the California Society of Professional Engineers (2015), and Alumna of the Year by Southwestern College (2015).  More recently, she has been named into the Tijuana Walk of Fame (2014) and to the Mexican Academy of Engineering (2016).