Elle received her B.A. in Neuroscience and Japanese from Middlebury College, where she conducted research on the mechanisms of brain metabolism and long-term potentiation. She worked in healthcare consulting before returning to research in the Division of Endocrinology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. Elle is driven by the critical need for women’s presence in science, advocating for underrepresented women in STEM and advancing research that incorporates women’s health factors in neuroscience. She was selected for the 2024 Decolvenaere Research Accelerator Fellowship.
Elle Murata
Ph.D. Student
UC Santa Barbara Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Recipient of the Decolvenaere Research Accelerator Fellowship
Fun Fact: Last year, Elle gave a TEDx talk where she shared about her dual experience as a woman in science and a woman underserved by medicine and biomedical sciences.
"The Decolvenaere Fellowship has been instrumental in my future aspirations of becoming a professor of neuroscience and a continuing advocate for women’s health. It has allowed me to contribute to the small but growing field of women’s brain health as a scientist, researcher, and patient. Liz Decolvenaere’s support is invaluable."
What do you like to do in your spare time?
“Outside of the Ph.D., you can find me running on the beach, hiking in the Los Padres National Forest, or baking.”
Post Ph.D. plans?
“I would love to do a postdoc abroad where I could continue to find my research niche in women’s health and neuroscience.”