Olja Simoska was born and raised in Macedonia, where she discovered her passion for chemistry during high school. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Bard College in 2015 and completed her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin in 2019. Her doctoral work, conducted under the guidance of Professor Keith J. Stevenson, focused on real-time monitoring of dynamic metabolism and responses of pathogenic bacteria using electroanalytical methods. Following her Ph.D., Olja pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Utah with Professor Shelley D. Minteer. During this time, she worked on genetic engineering approaches to develop biological anolyte regeneration systems for redox flow batteries and enhance the performance of microbial fuel cells. Recognized for her outstanding research contributions, Olja has received various awards, including the prestigious ACS Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral Fellowship, ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellowship, Charles Morton Share Graduate Fellowship, University of Texas at Austin’s Graduate Dean’s Fellowship, Hanze Teaching Award, and Ereztech BridgeForward Award.
In the fall of 2022, Olja embarked on her independent academic career at the University of South Carolina (USC). Her research focuses on designing, developing, and applying electroanalytical methods for continuous monitoring of human health status. Dr. Simoska initiated and currently leads the Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) program at USC, offering first-year undergraduate students experiential learning and hands-on research experience. Olja was awarded the 2025 Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award and 2025 Dennis A. Pruitt Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students Award from the University of South Carolina. She is also a recipient of the 2026 Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA). In 2023, Olja was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Society of Electroanalytical Chemistry (SEAC) and is currently serving as the SEAC Elections Chair. From 2024-2025, she serves as an Associate Editor in ECS Sensors Plus, a journal of the Electrochemical Society. In 2025, she was appointed to serve as an Associate and Commissioning Editor for Electroanalysis, a Wiley journal.
Olja is also very passionate about educating the next generation of scientists, as well as about research at the interface of electrochemistry, chemistry, biology, and medicine. For collaborations, questions, and job opportunities, please contact her at osimoska@mailbox.sc.edu.
Professional Appointments
University of South Carolina (2022-present) Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Utah (2020-2022) ACS Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral Fellow (Advisor: Shelley D. Minteer)
Education
The University of Texas at Austin (2015-2019) Ph.D. in Chemistry (Advisor: Keith J. Stevenson)
Bard College (2011-2015) B.A. in Chemistry (Advisor: Christopher N. LaFratta)
Awards and Honors
2026
2025-2026
- Two Thumbs Up Recognition – University of South Carolina
2025
- Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award – University of South Carolina
- Dennis A. Pruitt Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students Award – University of South Carolina
2024-2025
- Career Influencer Recognition – University of South Carolina
2021
- Ereztech BridgeForward Award
2020-2022
- ACS Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral Fellowship
2019
- Charles Morton Share Graduate Fellowship – University of Texas at Austin
2018
- ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellowship sponsored by the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP)
- Graduate Dean’s Prestigious Fellowship – University of Texas at Austin
- Henze Teaching Award – University of Texas at Austin
- University of Texas at Austin Professional Development Award
2017
- Graduate School Summer Fellowship – University of Texas at Austin
2015
- ACS Undergraduate Research Award
2014
- C.T. Sottery Award – Bard College