PhD candidate, NSF GRFP Fellow, Dept of Biology Neurobiology Program
Elif received her BA in Cell Biology & Neuroscience from Rutgers University. As an undergraduate researcher, she studied the effect of partitioning defective polarity proteins on dendritic spines in learning and memory. Following her graduation, Elif was a post-baccalaureate research assistant examining how mutations in Shank3, a postsynaptic scaffolding protein, influence dendritic spine development and synapse formation. Currently, she is exploring how core lysosomal-dependent signaling pathways are remodeled in neurons. Outside of the lab, she enjoys going bouldering and playing the piano.