Elena joined King's College London in 2020 as a MSc Neuroscience student after completing her BA(Hons) in Menswear Design at London College of Fashion. She specialized her MSc in Neural Stem Cells & CNS repair, and earned a distinction. She was elected divisional student representative for the neuroscience division and remained with the MSc course as a graduate teaching assistant in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging.

Before returning to the IoPPN Elena worked in clinical research within Neuro and ENT oncology at GSTT, and in Major Trauma and Neurosurgery research at St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College London. She won the 2022 Crick Innovation Challenge and currently acts as executive lead at Brainbook Charity, a charity for neuroscience and neurosurgery education.

Elena's current work at King's College London involves the gut-brain-axis and links to anti-depressant therapeutics.

Research interests

• Brain injury
• Vascular biology
• Gut-Brain-Axis
• Clinical Neuroscience 

Expertise and Public Engagement

• Executive Lead (Prev. Media Officer, Media & Education Lead) at Brainbook Charity
• Winner of 2022 Crick Innovation Challenge
• Set-up of Academic Research Skills for Nurses workshop series at Imperial Collect London Healthcase
• Content creator for British Journal of Neurosurgery
• Principal's Postgraduate Leadership Award, King's College London, 2021