Paula Olsiewski, PhD
Contributing Scholar
Professional Profile
Dr. Olsiewski is a Contributing Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. She is a pioneering leader in policy and scientific research programs in the microbiology and chemistry of indoor environments. Dr. Olsiewski leads the Center’s work on indoor air quality policy to mitigate airborne disease and global catastrophic biological risks. Under her direction, the Center developed the Model Clean Indoor Air Act, a legal framework that state legislatures can adapt to sensibly monitor, regulate, and improve indoor air by inspecting IAQ and publicly posting results. Dr. Olsiewski directs the Center’s work on Far-UVC as a potential tool to reduce the risk of pandemics.
During her 2 decades at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, she led innovative and multidisciplinary programs that inspired, accelerated, and produced lasting impact. Her expertise in partnering with academic, governmental, and for-profit stakeholders fostered innovation and built research capacity through the creation of diverse stakeholder networks. Her accomplishments include the creation and direction of the microbiology of the built environment, chemistry of indoor environments, and biosecurity programs.
Dr. Olsiewski is recognized as a leading expert in indoor air quality and biosecurity. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a member of the Academy of Fellows of the International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in chemistry. In 2025, Dr. Olsiewski was appointed to the Global Commission on Indoor Air. From 2014-2022, she was Chair of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Homeland Security Research Subcommittee and was a member of the EPA Board of Scientific Counselors Executive Committee.
Dr. Olsiewski’s acumen in board governance, recruitment and development, and fundraising has helped both scientific and philanthropic organizations improve their operational efficacy and programmatic outcomes. Early in her career, Dr. Olsiewski was Vice President of Product Development at Enzo Biochem and President of Neo/Tech Corp. She is Vice Chair of the Spondylitis Association of America and a Director of the Corsi Rosenthal Foundation, whose mission is to improve human health by promoting clean indoor air and supplying air purifiers to those in need. From 2015-2023, she was a board member of the Critical Path Institute, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the drug development and regulatory process. Previously she was board chair of Asphalt Green—a not-for-profit organization in New York that encourages a lifetime of participation in sports and fitness.
Dr. Olsiewski received a PhD in biological chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As an alumna, she was a member of the MIT Corporation and President of the MIT Alumni Association, earning her the association’s top honor: the Bronze Beaver award. Dr. Olsiewski was a member of MIT’s Initiative for Faculty Race and Diversity Advisory Committee and is an advocate for diversity and ongoing supporter of MIT's Women in Chemistry. She also received a BS in chemistry, cum laude, from Yale University.
Projects
Recent Publications
Breaking Down Silos: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Mitigate Indoor Airborne Pathogen Transmission
The Impact of UVC Light on Indoor Air Chemistry: A Modeling Study
