Her scholarly interests are in the areas of bilingual and bicultural education, science education in bilingual settings and the academic experiences of immigrant students. Currently, she is also a full-time bilingual science teacher at a high school in the suburbs of New York. Professor Olivares-Orellana received an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching and an Ed.M. in International Educational Development both from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also received a B.S. in Biochemistry from SUNY Stony Brook. She is a native of Chile but lived many years in Argentina before migrating to the U.S. in 1994.