Bio: Elissa received her BS in Neurobiology and Physiology from University of Maryland before joining the Biophysics PhD program. She is currently co-advised by Dr. Sukharev (University of Maryland) and Dr. Matthies (National Institutes of Health) where she studies the structure and function of mechanosensitive channels. The Sukharev lab specializes in multiple functional characterization techniques, especially bacterial patch-clamp electrophysiology, and she is expanding this research into structural biology with the expertise of the Matthies lab. Her project links cryo-EM with in vivo patch-clamp to examine the intramolecular forces and protein-lipid interactions that stabilize various protein conformations. Her research combines functional assays, computational modeling, and structural techniques to deepen our understanding of mechanosensitive channels and their gating mechanisms.

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/elissa-moller