Olivia Holzhaus

Olivia Gamez Holzhaus is the founder and CEO of Rhodium Scientific (rhodium), a biotechnology company based in houston, texas. rhodium facilitates quality assured biotech and biopharma testing and discovery by utilizing the extreme environment of space.

Charged with advancing the company’s low earth orbit commercialization strategies, Olivia oversees science, engineering, and quality assurance endeavors to ensure their discoveries made in microgravity can translate into products recognized by regulated life science industries. HolzHaus has positioned rhodium as an official commercial services provider to multiple national laboratories, including the international space station and commercially developed space stations and spaceflight vehicles. she has led the creation and implementation of rhodium’s quality, industry-compatible space process, the first set of life science protocols ensuring industry-standard quality assurances are incorporated into spaceflight ground and mission operations. these protocols allow for the reproducibility and standardization of biotech, biopharma, and biomanufacturing investigations in space.

Olivia has over 20 years in research and applied life science fields, has served in scientist and senior engineering positions with research organizations and fortune 500 companies, and holds advanced degrees in microbiology and the management of technology.

Currently, she is on the board of advisors at GEN Space, the International Space Safety Foundation (ISSF), the College of Science and Engineering at Texas State University, the Stem Workforce Advisory Council at Texas State University, and Puerto Rico’s Opportunities in Space (Pro Space).

For fun, Olivia serves as vice commodore for the Galveston Bay Cruising association (GBCA), having competed in over 30 sailing regattas and is a class champion for the GBCA women’s regatta.