Faculty Directory
Olga Lavinda, PhD, chemistry professor at Yeshiva University

Olga
Lavinda

Clinical Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Stern College for Women
olga.lavinda@yu.edu

Stern College for Women | Yeshiva University
Office: 549, Chemistry Department
245 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Olga Lavinda is a chemist whose research examines how molecular structure governs reactivity and biological recognition. As Clinical Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Yeshiva University's Stern College for Women, she leads a research program that connects organic chemistry, computational modeling, and biochemical experiments to understand why closely related molecules behave differently and how those differences can inform inhibitor and protein design.

Her laboratory develops methods for evaluating the chemistry behind predicted protein structures and interactions. The work asks which molecular contacts support a biologically plausible interaction, how metals and glycans affect protein assemblies, and how changes in molecular geometry and protonation alter enzyme recognition. Current projects examine the human melanogenic enzymes TYR, TYRP1, and TYRP2; human diamine oxidase and its relationship to histamine metabolism; and selectivity between the related enzymes AOC1 and AOC3. Protein-interface benchmarks provide a broader basis for testing structural predictions against experimentally determined assemblies. Her recent work in the Anthropic × Adaptyv protein-design competition extends these questions to the design of protein binders with pH-dependent recognition and defined human–mouse cross-reactivity.

Dr. Lavinda earned her PhD in chemistry at New York University, combining organic synthesis and computational chemistry to explain the conformational and stereoelectronic origins of reaction selectivity. During NIH-supported postdoctoral training at NYU Langone, she applied this foundation to enzyme complexes, kinase inhibitors, and the geometry of covalent inhibitor recognition. These studies established the connection between chemical mechanism and molecular recognition that guides her current research.

Undergraduate research and the teaching of scientific judgment are central to her work at Stern. She coordinates laboratory courses in Essentials, General, and Organic Chemistry and has introduced AI-literacy activities that require students to verify sources, evaluate chemical explanations, and justify their conclusions. In the lab, a custom digital research environment connects project questions to training materials, weekly assignments, and individual laboratory notebooks, helping undergraduate and graduate researchers contribute to computational analysis and experimental testing. Her research-readiness curriculum includes a pipetting and calibration challenge that teaches students to evaluate the quality of their measurements. She serves as faculty advisor to the YU ACS Student Chapter; student researcher Tiferet Aharon presented the lab's melanogenic-enzyme work at ACS Fall 2026 and received an ACS Conference Travel Award.

Visit the Lavinda Lab: current projects, research opportunities, and student application

ORCID and research record

  • Katz Faculty Research Initiative Award, Yeshiva University, 2026–2027. Support for Chemistry-Aware Validation of AI-Predicted hDAO Structures and Protein–Ligand Complexes.
  • Eugene M. Farber Travel Award for Young Investigators, Society for Investigative Dermatology, 2018.
  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award institutional training support, NIH, 2017–2019. Postdoctoral trainee, T32AR064184.
  • Henry M. MacCracken Fellowship — New York University, 2011
  • Kramer Stipend for Outstanding Incoming Student — New York University, 2011
  • CUNY Pipeline Stipend for Outstanding Academic Achievement, 2010
  • Award in Recognition of Outstanding Academic Achievement — Golden Key International Honour Society, 2009

Research Support

  • Claude for Science Teams, Anthropic, 2026. Research support providing 25 team seats and $20,000 in Claude usage credits for supervised research and AI-literacy work.
  • ACCESS Explore allocation, 2026–2027. Computational resources through the NSF-supported ACCESS program for molecular modeling and research-method development.

Selected Presentations & Invited Talks

  • Tiferet Aharon, Olga Lavinda, Ntobeko Dube, and Tinashe Muyambo. AlphaFold 3 Reveals the Architecture of the Melanogenic Enzyme Complex: Metal Coordination, Glycosylation, and the Structural Basis of Oculocutaneous Albinism. Invited interactive digital iPoster presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 Meeting, Committee on Science (COMSCI) Innovative Program Symposium, Deep Learning Co-Folding Models versus Computational Physics-Based Models of Protein-Ligand Interactions, Chicago, IL, August 24, 2026. Presentation subtitle: Deep-Learning Co-Folding versus Physics-Based Docking in the Human TYR-Family Complex. Presented by Tiferet Aharon.
  • Tiferet Aharon, Olga Lavinda, Ntobeko Dube, and Tinashe Muyambo. AlphaFold 3 Reveals the Architecture of the Melanogenic Enzyme Complex: Metal Coordination, Glycosylation, and the Structural Basis of Oculocutaneous Albinism. Poster presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 Meeting, Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL), Current Topics in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology, Chicago, IL, August 26, 2026. ACS Paper ID 4532671. Presented by Tiferet Aharon.
  • Lavinda O. Teaching With AI Without Losing the Student: A Structured Framework for AI Literacy Integration in Undergraduate Chemistry. ACS Fall 2026, Chicago, IL, August 23–27, 2026. CHED Paper 4544424.
  • Lavinda O. Free Docking and Allosteric Site Exploration of Breastfeeding Supplement Ingredients at Human Diamine Oxidase: An AlphaFold 3 and AutoDock Vina Study. ACS Fall 2026, Chicago, IL, August 23–27, 2026. Division of Medicinal Chemistry.
  • Invited Talk — MolSoft ICM User Group Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 2018
  • Invited Talk — Naval Research Laboratories, Washington DC, April 2016
  • Invited Poster — Regeneron, Tarrytown, NY, June 2018
  • Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin, Gleneden Beach, OR, October 2018
  • 21st Annual Dermatology & Cutaneous Biology Research Day, New York, NY, April 2019
  • 20th Annual Dermatology & Cutaneous Biology Research Day, New York, NY, April 2018
  • 42nd National Organic Chemistry Symposium, Princeton University, NJ, June 2011
  • 240th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Boston, MA, August 2010
  • New York Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Conference, CUNY, January 2010

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  1. Ramig, et al., including Lavinda. Thermochromicity in Wool Dyed with 6-Bromoindigo. Heritage 2023, 6, 672–680.
  2. Lavinda O, Witt CH, Woerpel KA. Origin of high diastereoselectivity in reactions of seven-membered-ring enolates. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2022;61:e202114183. doi:10.1002/anie.202114183
  3. Lavinda O, Manga P, Orlow SJ, Cardozo T. Biophysical compatibility of a heterotrimeric tyrosinase-TYRP1-TYRP2 metalloenzyme complex. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2021;12:602206. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.602206
  4. Lough, Sherman, Becerra-Flores, Lavinda, et al. Triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines as GCN2 Kinase Inhibitors Reduce Growth of Leukemia Cells. Comput. Struct. Biotechnol. J. 2018, 16, 350–360.
  5. Ramig, Islamova, Scalise, Karimi, Lavinda, et al. Effect of Light and Dye Composition on Tyrian Purple Components. Struct. Chem. 2017, 28, 1553–1561.
  6. Beaver MG, Buscagan TM, Lavinda O, Woerpel KA. Stereoelectronic model to explain highly stereoselective reactions of seven-membered-ring oxocarbenium-ion intermediates. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2016;55:1816–1819. doi:10.1002/anie.201507806
  7. Ramig, Lavinda, et al. Nature of Thermochromic Effects in Indigo and Bromoindigo Dyeings. Dyes Pigments 2015, 117, 37–48.
  8. Lavinda O, Tran VT, Woerpel KA. Effect of conformational rigidity on the stereoselectivity of nucleophilic additions to five-membered ring bicyclic oxocarbenium ion intermediates. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. 2014;12:7083–7091. doi:10.1039/C4OB01251H
  9. Lavinda, Mironova, Karimi, et al. Singular Thermochromic Effects in Tyrian Purple Dye Components. Dyes Pigments 2013, 96, 581–589.
  10. Greer, Cosgriff, and Lavinda. Curtin-Hammett Process in Bergman Cyclization of an 11-Membered Enediyne. J. Phys. Org. Chem. 2012, 25, 1293–1298.
  11. Szalda, Ramig, Lavinda, et al. 6-Bromoindigo Dye Crystal Structure. Acta Crystallogr. C 2012, 68, o160–o163.
  12. Ramig, Lavinda, and Szalda. Stereoselective Decarboxylation Giving Halothane. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2012, 23, 201–204.
  13. Greer and Lavinda. Bergman Cyclization of Diethynyl Nitrotropylium Ion. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 75, 8650–8653.

Reports and Other Research Outputs

  • Lavinda. Ingredient-Level Comparative Analysis of Infant Formulas for CMPA Management: A Multi-Dimensional Safety Assessment. Zenodo, 2026. doi:10.5281/zenodo.19391415.
  • Lavinda. Beta-Glucan as a Galactagogue: A Critical Review of Source-Specific Mechanisms, Oral Bioavailability, and Unexamined Safety Dimensions in Postpartum Women. Zenodo, 2026. doi:10.5281/zenodo.19389747.
olga.lavinda@yu.edu

Stern College for Women | Yeshiva University
Office: 549, Chemistry Department
245 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016

MEDIA RELATIONS

To request an interview, please contact Media Relations at 212-960-5400 x5488 or publicaffairs@yu.edu

CHEM-1010, CHEM-1047, CHEM-1215, CHEM-1046