Dr. Kenneth Olive performed his doctoral studies with Tyler Jacks at the MIT Center for Cancer Research, where he developed genetically engineered models of lung adenocarcinoma and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. As a postdoc, he trained with David Tuveson, first at the University of Pennsylvania and later at the University of Cambridge in England. There he studied the mechanisms of chemoresistance of pancreatic tumors and showed how the tumor stroma interferes with drug delivery. Dr Olive joined Columbia as an Assistant Professor in 2010 with the goal of building a translational program to bring new therapeutic approaches to pancreatic cancer patients. Since then, he has published landmark papers in the tumor microenvironment, cancer metabolism, tumor cell heterogeneity, translational therapeutics, using both mouse- and human-derived model systems. Most recently his work on pan-RAS inhibition established the preclinical foundation for the recent clinical approval of daraxonrasib for treatment-resistant metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. Dr. Olive has also served as a mentor to dozens of scientists and physicians. As Assistant Dean, he has helped lead the reimagination of graduate education at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, launching the new Vagelos Institute for Biomedical Research Education and overseeing curriculum design for the new Biomedical Life Sciences program.