Elsa A. Olivetti
- Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering
- BS, Engineering Science, University of Virginia, 2000
- PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, 2007
- 8-403
- elsao@mit.edu
Manufacturing; Materials Processing; Materials Systems and Analysis

Research
Professor Olivetti’s research focuses on improving the environmental and economic sustainability of materials in the context of rapid-expanding global demand. Her research addresses two major problems where solutions could yield significant environmental benefits:
- Improving the sustainability of materials through increased use of recycled and renewable materials, recycling-friendly material design, and intelligent waste disposition
- Understanding the implications of substitution, dematerialization and waste mining on materials markets. Her research spans three levels of materials production: operational-level, industrial network-level and market-level strategies.
Recent News
Professor Olivetti to join Climate Nucleus
September 21, 2021
AI in materials development
August 13, 2021
Bose Award 2021
August 11, 2021
Prof. Elsa Olivetti awarded tenure
July 12, 2021
3 Questions: Designing systems for sustainable materials ecologies
February 22, 2021