Ellie completed her PhD in Materials Chemistry in the Owen Lab at Columbia University. Her research focussed on the synthesis and characterisation of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots). She taught extensively during her PhD and, after graduating, spent a year teaching at various higher education institutions in New York (Columbia, Barnard, Fordham).
Ellie joined the University of Birmingham in 2022 as a teaching fellow. Based in the Birmingham International Academy, she predominantly taught across the Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) foundation year, a programme which progresses students to undergraduate degrees within the College of EPS. In 2025, she joined the School of Metallurgy and Materials as an Assistant Professor in Science and Engineering Education. In this role, she is Senior Tutor for the foundation year and continues to develop foundation year provisions.