Elena completed her BSc Honours Microbiology & Immunology, Minor Art History and MSc Integrated Neuroscience at McGill University in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, Canada. She has researched in areas of bacteriology, neuroimmunology, and host-pathogen interactions. Elena is starting her PhD at UC San Diego in Biomedical Sciences this fall. In her free time, Elena enjoys engaging with visual arts (elenalin.wix.com/artportfolio), science communication/advocacy (scicommcollective.com), and eating cookies.