Company and Science
Pūrvala was founded in 2020 to develop and commercialize innovative, bioinspired technologies for health and beauty. The company’s core technologies are based on discoveries in the laboratory of our Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Bradley Olsen, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
We are developing products that are high-performance, safe, and environmentally friendly. We begin with insights into biological structures and compounds that are highly evolved in nature to perform a specialized function. We then use the tools of biotechnology and protein chemistry to develop highly efficacious health and beauty products—modeled on these natural structures—comprised of proteins, lipids, and other naturally occurring compounds.
Leadership
Bradley Olsen, PhD
Bradley Olsen, PhD, is a leading expert on biofunctional and bioinspired materials employing polymer chemistry and protein engineering. He is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lavinia Popescu, MS, MBA
Lavinia Popescu is a chemist and accomplished health and beauty industry product development leader and senior scientist, who has held executive roles at leading beauty companies, such as Elizabeth Arden, Moroccan Oil, or Olaplex.
Justin Paloni, PhD
Justin Paloni, PhD, received his doctorate in Dr. Olsen’s MIT laboratory. He is an expert in biofunctional polymer chemistry and directed protein design.