[2][3] She completed her doctoral studies in 1994 under the supervision of Paul Alivisatos at the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry.

[6] She was awarded a Phi Beta Kappa teaching prize and named as Discover magazine's Top Scientists to Watch.

[9][10] As a model for tissue localization following intradermal infiltration, Colvin studied how quantum dots migrate in mice.

[11] She found that 1D quantum dots remain as a deposit on the skin and penetrate the nearby subcutis and were distributed to draining lymph nodes.

[11] She bound quantum dots to gold nanoparticles with a peptide sequence, which suppresses luminescence; allowing the combination to be used as probes for targeted degradation.

[13] She demonstrated that weathering quantum dots in acidic and alkaline conditions can increase the bactericidal activity due to the rapid release of cadmium and selenite ions.

[6][25][26] Colvin joined Brown University as provost in 2014, after a nationwide search, and resigned after less than a year in the position.

[6][27][28] She joined the board of the Schlumberger Foundation that year, with the hope to secure funding for women scientists.