Prof Ellefson's (she/her) main role at the Univeristy is as Professor of Cognitive Science in the Faculty of Education and incoming Director of the ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership (from 1st October 2022). She was trained in cognitive psychology & neuroscience. Her research investigates the development of two specific types of thinking skills (executive functions, reasoning) and how they are linked to both brain development and learning from ages 4 years to young adulthood. You can read more about her research on her INSTRUCT lab website or her Faculty website. Before taking up this new directorship, Prof Ellefson's main teaching included lectures in the Faculty of Education on statistics and research methods as well as various aspects of cognitive psychology to students on the Education Tripos (Education, Psychology & Learning track) and the Psychology & Education masters. She still gives lectures to students doing initial teacher training (PGCE) on understanding learning and language development. Each year her INSTRUCT lab includes about 10-15 doctoral/masters research students. She recently served as Deputy Director of Research in the Faculty of Education and has been on the leadership team of the Education Tripos a few times since she joined the university in 2009. 

In addition to her Professorship and Faculty responsibilities, Prof Ellefson has a few roles here at Caius. She first joined the College in 2011 as a Director of Studies for the Education Tripos. Shortly after that, she was nominated to a Bye-Fellowship. She became a Tutor in 2016. In 2020 she was nominated to a full fellowship at Caius - the first in her Faculty to be nominated to this role at Caius. Like most academics at Cambridge, she balances a very busy schedule. Yet she very much enjoys being a Tutor because it has taught her about the various support structures that exist at Cambridge - with the best part being learning from you about the exciting work/research that you are doing.

Outside Cambridge, she has various academic editorial roles, including being editor for Essays in Developmental Psychology, Associate Editor for the Cognitive Science journal, and on the editorial board of the Cambridge Journal of Education. 

Prof Ellefson is the first person in her extended family to earn a PhD. Cambridge and the world of academia are very different from the world where she grew up. She benefitted from attending unassuming, but excellent state schools in her hometown (in the USA), but Cambrige is beyond anything she could have imagined as a young person. She understands from personal experience the challenges of having to go between Cambridge and 'home' and is happy to speak at anytime about this adjustment. 

Prof Ellefson has been involved in some small initiatives to address racism and discrimination at Caius and Cambridge. She understands that the journey towards eliminating discrimination at universities and in academic research is a long, but vitally important one for developing the vibrancy of our community. Please do feel free to share your own stories or ask if you want to hear more. 

When she isn't working, Prof Ellefson enjoys travel and spending time with her extended family and friends (scattered across various countries). Regular trips swimming/snorkelling in the sea bring back her days as a competitive swimmer and lifeguard. She and her husband are slowly renovating their little Victorian terrace, requiring her to learn a lot about building works and structural engineering. Most recently, she started learning Greek (σιγά - σιγά). 

Each of you will have a unique educational journey. That also means that the way you access tutorial/DoS support will also be unique.

Most importantly - Prof Ellefson will see all of you during the beginning and end of term tutor meetings. The Unviersity / College requires that you meet up with her regularly. These meetings and this is a great time to chat about how you are doing and if there are any upcoming or ongoing tutor supports that you need. You will book in your session using the appropriate link: 

Tutor Appointments: https://ellefson-tutorial-inperson.youcanbook.me

DoS Appointments: https://ellefson-dos-inperson.youcanbook.me

In between those meetings, do get in contact with Prof Ellefson with queries or to book additional meetings.

If you have a need that is more urgent, then it is okay to email Prof Ellefson or to send her a Teams message. As you can see from the description of her working life - she has a variety of responsibilities that prevent her from being on email at all times. You should receive an email reply from Dr Ellefson no later than the end of the next working day during term time. If she is away from Cambridge for work or annual leave, then she will send a message through Moodle and with information on who to contact if you have an issue before she returns. Prof Ellefson's email replies are less predictable outside of term as it is a very important time for academics to catch up on their research - so expect email replies outside of term to take longer.

If you have a need that cannot wait until the next working day, then please contact the Gonville & Caius College Porters. They can lend urgent support and can either contact Prof Ellefson or the Duty Tutor if that is warranted. 

Honestly, pretty much any question linked to your academic studies (or things that affect it) is okay to ask your Tutor. The University of Cambridge has so many different forms of opportunities and support, but being such an old and large institution means that it can be challenging to find what you need. As your Tutor, Prof Ellefson's key role is to help you find these opportunities / supports while you are an Gonville & Caius undergraduate. 

Sometimes, students will be clear about their needs / interests, but at other times it can be confusing to know what sort of questions to ask during Tutor meetings. Here is a list of common examples of topics that come up during these meetings (but it is not exhaustive - if you have another topic, then please ask).

• General academic advice and support, including any concerns you have about your course or supervisor

• Mental health / counselling

• Permissions linked to student accommodation (e.g., changing rooms, requesting fridge/freezer for special dietary needs, requests for specific room arrangements, living out of College)

• Referrals to

  • Gonville & Caius Academic Skills

  • Disability Resource Centre

  • University Counselling Centre

  • Gonville & Caius Health Centre and College Nurse

• Financial support for 

  • Extra-curricular activities (e.g., sport, music, societies, etc.)

  • Health costs (e.g., Crane Fund)

  • Testing for learning disabilities (through the Disability Resource Centre)

  • MDR refunds

  • College grants / funding (for more info see https://intranet.cai.cam.ac.uk/students/financial-help/undergraduates on the Venn)

• Examination adjustments (for more info see https://www.student-registry.admin.cam.ac.uk/about-us/EAMC)

• Arrangements for intermission (pausing your studies)

It's important to remember that your Tutor is not an expert on many of the areas above, instead they are here to serve as your guide to accessing information / support that suits your individual needs. Bringing up these topics with your Tutor is usually the start of getting the information / support that will facilitate your studies. Talking about some of these topics can be challenging, especially when you do not know your Tutor well. To help make it easier to have these conversations, Prof Ellefson often asks you questions about your Tripos or any clubs/societies you have joined to get to know you better. 

Sometimes it is not clear who to bring your questions to or how to ask for help. The key is to ask someone. Below is a list of potential resources that you can also approach for support / information. If it turns out that your Tutor does need to be involved, then Prof Ellefson will happily step in as needed.

• Health Centre and College Nurse

• Your DoS

• GCSU rep (especially the Mental Health or BAME officers)

• Cambridge Student Union (especially their Student Advice Service)

• Your GP

• Your counsellor

• Your DRC advisor

• The College Dean

• The Tutorial Office 

Remember - no question is a silly question. If you ask Prof Ellefson something that she doesn't know the answer to straight away, then she will contact her own University network to help find the answer and get back to you as soon as possible.

Tutors are responsible for supporting pastoral care, while DoS support academic studies. The role of DoS and Tutor can sometimes overlap, so don't worry if you end up asking your DoS a question that is more tutorial or a Tutor a question that is more academic. Both roles are designed to support you and can direct you to appropriate resources.

As with tutorial meetings, there are many questions that come up during DoS meetings. Some common examples are:

• Queries about a specific paper (reading list, supervisor admin, etc.)

• Queries about essary writing (and perhaps a request for Academic Skills support)

• Chatting about paper options (where availalbe)

• Feedback about your supervisions / supervisors

• Mock exams / exam preparations

• Summer internship or other professional opportunities