Ellen McRae is a fourth year student completing an Echols interdisciplinary major in evolutionary biology, which combines courses in biology, geochemistry, archaeology, and statistics. She has been interning in science labs since 9th grade, including the University of California and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.
Ellen is currently conducting senior thesis research in Doug Taylor’s lab in the Biology Department. She is exploring techniques for detecting recombination from DNA sequences in order to better understand organelle genome inheritance in plants, a project that began with a Research Experience for Undergraduates grant from the National Science Foundation.
Ellen has recently applied to Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. programs, where she hopes to study human molecular evolution. She serves as part of the Brown College at Monroe Hill governance board and is an active member of the University Singers and the Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee Team.
