Ellie graduated with a Master of Biological Sciences (MBiolSci, First-Class Honours) from the University of Sheffield, where she investigated the role of nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA) in the preferential protection of oxidative DNA damage, with a particular focus on its involvement in R-loop formation and accumulation and the relevance of these processes to neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS. Ellie joined our lab in 2025 as a PhD student, working on the genetic code expansion-based modification of an ovine PrP-expressing human cell line to enable bio-orthogonal labelling of ovine prion protein (ovPrP) and the propagation of fluorescent sheep prions. The aim is to track infection dynamics in live cells using single-molecule TIRF and super-resolution microscopy. Developing this system will allow us to trigger and visualise exogenously seeded ovPrP conversion in real time. Ellie also aims to exploit cryo-CLEM and cryo-ET to investigate the structural features of PrP assemblies in situ in this cell model.