Ellen is a PhD Candidate in the Brain and Creativity Institute and the Brain and Music Lab where she is thrilled to have the ability to research the intersection of her two passions of neuroscience and the arts. She graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BA in Neuroscience and a BS in Theatre Performance. She spent several years as an arts educator and performer before working at Northwestern University as a clinical research coordinator studying the biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease using fMRI. 

Ellen is interested in creative improvisation, rhythm, synchrony, and music as they relate to neuroplasticity and cognition and communication during development, aging, and in disease populations. She is especially interested in the ways in which shared artistic experiences change people’s feelings of otherness and belonging.

In her free time Ellen enjoys hiking and backpacking with her dog and partner, acting, puppetry, singing, and exploring new places as she travels the world.