Olfat is an electrophysiologist by training. She grew up in Lebanon and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the Lebanese University in Beirut. She then moved to France, where she completed a master’s degree in biology, biotechnology and therapeutic research at the University of Nantes and the Institut du Thorax.
After receiving the Line Pomaret Delalande Prize from the Medical Research Foundation, Olfat pursued her PhD studies within the Ion Channels and Cardiopathies team at the Institut du Thorax. Her research focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac, neuronal and muscular channelopathies using peptides that mimic specific regions of ion channels.
Olfat later received a Visiting Junior Scholar Fellowship from the France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and joined Dr. Joseph Wu’s lab at Stanford University. There, she modeled cardiac arrhythmia diseases using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). During that time, she developed a strong interest in how the autonomic nervous system regulates cardiac function, which led her to the Buck Institute for Research on Aging for postdoctoral training.
At the Buck Institute, Olfat was awarded two postdoctoral fellowships: one from the National Institute of Health (NIH, T32) and another from the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity & Equality (GCRLE). Her postdoctoral work focused on understanding how synaptic transmission influences organ and tissue function during aging.
Olfat joined the Chiang Lab with over a decade of multidisciplinary research experience. She investigates the molecular mechanisms of inherited cardiac arrhythmias using human iPSC-CMs and zebrafish models, combining state-of-the- art electrophysiology and microscopy techniques. Her main goal is to develop new and personalized therapeutics for these diseases.
When she is not in the lab, Olfat enjoys working out, connecting with nature, reading, exploring new cultures through travel, and occasionally ballroom dancing.