Ellie is currently in her final year of an integrated Master’s degree in Zoology at the University of Lincoln, as part of which she has studied topics such as cell biology, integrative biochemistry, veterinary parasitology, and conservation biology. Throughout her time on the course, she has been particularly intrigued by subjects relating to health and disease, and therefore, her third-year independent research project investigated the immune response to avian malaria parasites in wild birds. Not only did this project increase her knowledge of immunology and parasitism, but it also improved her microscopy skills and equipped her with valuable laboratory experience. She plans to continue to expand on these skills during her Master’s research project, which will also focus on avian malaria parasites.
Ellie has also broadened her knowledge outside of the degree curriculum, in both plant science and genetics, through her participation in a summer research project following her second year of study. This project aimed to compare the genetic diversity of immune genes in selfing and outcrossing plants, using publicly available genetic sequence data.
Ellie is passionate about science communication and education. This passion led to her recent collaboration with a toy company as part of a project looking to devise innovative ways of incorporating a science education element into their new range of children's toys. She particularly enjoys writing about science, as it allows her to explore a wide variety of scientific topics whilst utilizing her critical thinking skills and attention to detail. As such, she has recently started writing a blog, which seeks to communicate the latest scientific knowledge to the general public, and hopes to pursue a full-time career in science writing after graduating from university.
In her free time, Ellie enjoys reading fiction, particularly crime and thriller novels, as well as getting creative with painting and drawing.