Bio: Elisa grew up in Los Angeles, CA and earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2013. Her previous research as an undergraduate includes engineering yeast to develop small molecule monomers for biosustainable polymer application and synthesis. Elisa also participated in an NSF-REU program in 2012 studying E. coli to optimize genomic mutations in recombineering for biofuel applications. She is currently a 4th year student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware.

Research Interests: Elisa is studying Huntingtin’s disease by reprogramming stem cells into HD neuronal cells and building 2D and 3D hydrogel models to mimic the natural environment of the brain. She is building this in vitro model to study neurodegenerative disease progression as a resource to develop drug therapies.

Fun Facts: In her spare time Elisa enjoys running, playing tennis, and hiking.