Ellen is a research scientist who studies health and well‑being across the life span, with a particular emphasis on social connectedness and loneliness in older adults. She specializes in qualitative and mixed‑methods research. In addition to her focus on older adults, her research portfolio spans arts and cultural engagement, rural education research, and community-driven initiatives. In her role, she regularly facilitates focus groups, cognitive interviews, and individual interviews; leads qualitative data analysis; designs and tests survey instruments; manages complex research projects; and collaborates with stakeholders throughout the research process.

Ellen translates complex research questions about loneliness—its antecedents and its impacts on health and well-being—into actionable evidence to improve outcomes across the life course. Drawing on prior experience in user experience and market research, she designs and conducts research focused on interventions for loneliness and social isolation, with a passion for user-centricity. Recently, she served as co-investigator on an NIA-funded research initiative focused on the feasibility of a digital intervention targeting momentary loneliness in older adults, and she led qualitative research investigating the impact of older adults’ social media usage on their social connectivity. She currently serves as project manager for Mapping Social Connectedness Across Chicago Neighborhoods, a community-based study examining patterns of social connection to inform local investment and practice in Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. She recently led cognitive interviews with older adults focused on financial exploitation experiences and delivered recommendations to improve measurement of financial exploitation incidence rate. She is the focus group task lead for the national Rural Impact Initiative Evaluation, which supports strategic grantmaking for rural college completion. In 2024, she contributed to the design of the National Survey of Artists, a first-of-its-kind survey and sampling approach to identify and learn about U.S. artists.

Prior to NORC, Ellen led qualitative customer insights research that informed product strategy and customer experience improvements, managing cross-functional stakeholders and translating user insights into clear recommendations for decision-makers. She has also conducted applied research for nonprofit and civic organizations, contributing to a large-scale community legal needs assessment and other urban research initiatives in Chicago.