Profile with Olivia Rissland
Olivia Rissland (Rhode Island & Christ Church 2004) is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She holds a DPhil in Biology from the University of Oxford and an Sc. B. in Biology, Mathematics and Latin from Brown University.
Rhodes Project: What is your favorite thing to do in Denver?
Olivia Rissland: Colorado is a paradise for the outdoor-enthusiast, and I love to go for runs either in the nearby foothills or in the high peaks of the Rockies. One of my favorite day trips is to go up Pike’s Peak on the Barr trail, which takes you all the way from pine forests to amazing views of the Colorado plains to idyllic, nearly untouched Alpine meadows.
Rhodes Project: What was the last book you couldn’t put down?
Olivia Rissland: The Splendid & The Vile by Eric Larson. I just love Eric Larson. He’s a nonfiction writer, who uses primary sources to bring (recent) history to life. This book focuses on Winston Churchill and the Blitz during World War II. The topic is gripping, and the details of the British response are fascinating.
Rhodes Project: If you weren’t a molecular biologist, what do you think you would be doing instead?
Olivia Rissland: There’s my fantastical answer, which would be to go off and work ski patrol somewhere in the mountains, or maybe some kind of hiking guide, anything that involves spending a lot of time in nature. And then there’s my real-life answer where I might have been a constitutional lawyer.
Rhodes Project: Can you tell me about your time as DJ Olive at Brown University?
Olivia Rissland: It was a lot of fun. When I was an undergraduate, Brown had two radio stations; one is more what people think of as a college radio station, independent and a little quirky, while the other, WBRU, is the one that I worked at. WBRU is much more of a commercial radio station. I got involved in freshman year, and ended up being the morning drive DJ for eight months in 2002. It was, obviously, very outside the realm of what a molecular biologist does, and it was awesome! Being a DJ uses a completely different part of your mind and made me a much more well-rounded person. Looking back, it was easily one of the best things that I did in college.
Rhodes Project: What is the best part of your job?
Olivia Rissland: I essentially get paid to think about how life works. I often feel that being a scientist is like being an explorer, but the world we are exploring is very small and we have no idea what it might look like. Usually, nature much more amazing than we think it’s going to be. The most amazing thing in all of this is that what I am looking at has been around for thousands of millions of years, but I could be the first person to discover it, to see it, to know it. That feeling of discovery is addictive, and my job really doesn’t feel like a job. I am so lucky to be able to do what I love.
Rhodes Project: What is the most challenging part of your job?
Olivia Rissland: I think the most challenging part is when we’re stuck, scientifically. Often, we know where we want to get to, which question we’re trying to answer, but we just can’t figure out how . It can almost feel as though there is a smooth surface that we’re trying to get inside of, but we just can’t get a toehold. There’s nothing to pry open the problem so we just keep going around and around on the outside. Times like that can be frustrating. And then, when we figure it out and discover that hidden vista, it’s an incredibly powerful moment—and one that usually sparks more questions.
Rhodes Project: What advice would you give a young woman aspiring to become a molecular biologist?
Olivia Rissland: In anything, but especially in science, it’s important to do what you love. Figure out the problem that you cannot wait to solve, and never be afraid of chasing after things that you love, even if they’re very difficult.
Rhodes Project: What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
Olivia Rissland: The hardest thing I’ve ever done is a 107-mile ultra-marathon in the Swiss Alps in September 2021. I started running ultra-marathons about a decade ago. A little bit like science, ultra-marathons are very challenging when you’re doing them, but incredibly rewarding once you’ve finished! This race was by far the hardest one I have ever done and meant I was “racing” for 57 hours straight. For the first day, the beautiful views gave me so much energy, but that feeling didn’t last for the whole race. By the middle of the second night out on the race, I was completely exhausted and had lost faith in my ability to finish. I was very lucky to have friends supporting me along the way; they believed in me even when I couldn’t and helped me continue to just keep moving forward. Crossing the finish was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and it showed me that we are capable of so much more than we think.
Rhodes Project: What do you like to do to relax?
Olivia Rissland: I find running to be a great relaxation activity. It’s obviously physically tiring, but mentally, it’s such a change of pace from the lab that it’s very relaxing. It helps me get perspective on what I’m doing and feel connected with life and nature.
Rhodes Project: What are you most looking forward to at the moment?
Olivia Rissland: We are doing some incredible science in my lab right now, and I hope that our discoveries will, at some point, be translated into new disease therapies. Fundamental science reveals the mysteries of life, and, as we’ve all seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also has the potential to transform medical treatments. It is very exciting to be part of that process!
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