Email
cpolsen@wpi.edu
Office
Gateway Park, 3005
Education
PhD University of Washington 2011
BA Cornell University 2005

Membranes are composed of hundreds of distinct kinds of phospholipids, and the types of lipids that are found within a membrane bilayer impact its biophysical properties including its fluidity, permeability and susceptibility to damage. Our primary interest is in understanding the mechanisms that control the phospholipid composition and that preserve the membrane over time. We use stable isotope tracing strategies and mass spectrometry to quantify phospholipid abundance and dynamics in the model organism, C. elegans.

News

SEE MORE NEWS ABOUT Carissa Olsen
Worcester Business Journal
WPI professor receives $421K to study healthy aging

The Worcester Business Journal reported on research by Carissa Perez Olsen, the Leonard P. Kinnicutt Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, on how lipids in our bodies and cell membranes affect aging and long-term health.