Elizabeth grew up north of Huntsville, Alabama. In 2009, she graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology and German from the University of Alabama, where her undergraduate research focused on the role of tegument protein UL21 in early stages of herpes simplex virus-1 replication. As a doctoral student in the Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis program at Emory University under the tutelage of Aron Lukacher, M.D., Ph.D., she developed a mouse model of polyomavirus infection in the brain as a means to study the CNS-infiltrating antiviral CD8+ T cell response and improve understanding of the pathogenesis of human progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. While in the Lukens lab, she investigated innate immune signaling pathways in CNS autoimmune disease as well as sex bias in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Outside of the laboratory, she enjoys IPAs, exploring new restaurants, improving her cooking skills, hiking, and making clothes.