Bio

I am a Doerr School of Sustainability Postdoctoral Fellow. I study the adaptations that facilitate a semi-aquatic lifestyle using garter snakes as a model organism. For my postdoctoral work, I am investigating the diving physiology and foraging ecology of valley garter snakes on Staten Island Preserve with a conservation lens. As part of my methodology, I will use biologgers to better understand the dive response of these cryptic predators. As a prior middle school science teacher with a passion for mentoring, I find purpose in providing opportunities to students to develop their scientific identities through research experiences. Through my work, I aim to highlight a vertebrate group that is often overlooked due to ophidiophobia, or fear of snakes, to be appreciated and ultimately conserved.

Professional Education

  • Master of Arts, Stanford University, ED-MA (2016)
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of California Santa Cruz (2025)
  • Ph.D., University of California at Santa Cruz, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2025)
  • M.A., Stanford University, Education and Secondary Science Teaching Credential (2016)
  • B.A., University of California at Berkeley, Marine Science and Integrative Biology (2013)

Stanford Advisors

Contact

  • Academic
    elsiec@stanford.edu
    University - Scholar Department: Department of Oceans Position: Postdoctoral Scholar

Additional Info

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

Diving physiology and foraging ecology of semi-aquatic garter snakes