Ella is a PhD student in Neuroscience at the University of Zurich, where she studies sex differences in stress and substance use disorders, including a potential role of early life adversity. After completing her bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of Zurich, Ella acquired her master's degree in Neuroscience and Cognition at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After finishing her thesis on the implications of early life stress on neuroinflammation and behavior, she continued as a research assistant in the department. Her research interests lie particularly in the fields of developmental neuroscience, psychopharmacology and the biological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders.