Background
Elena Persson is on the faculty of the Department of Biology and holds a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Denmark. Before Porter, Elena taught secondary science before graduate school.
Elena's research focuses on plant biology, with related work in evolutionary biology; undergraduates are involved in the lab most terms.
Areas of expertise
- Plant biology
- Evolutionary biology
- Undergraduate research and project mentoring
Teaching
Elena regularly teaches courses in Biology. Specific sections and syllabi are listed in the class schedule each term.
Courses lean on current problems from the field: students read recent work, reproduce a result or method, and then extend it. Elena builds in low-stakes practice before graded work and gives written feedback on drafts.
Advising and office hours
Elena advises students in the Biology programs and holds weekly office hours during the fall and spring terms, posted on the office door and in the course pages. Prospective students are welcome to email to arrange a visit or a call.
Advising conversations usually cover course sequencing, whether to add a minor or a concentration, and how classroom work connects to internships, research, or graduate study. Students who are undecided are welcome; part of the job is helping them narrow things down.
Recent and representative work
Elena's recent activity is a mix of peer-reviewed work, conference talks, and student-involved projects in plant biology and evolutionary biology. Representative items:
- A peer-reviewed article on plant biology in a disciplinary journal.
- A conference paper on evolutionary biology, co-authored with an undergraduate researcher.
- An internally funded project applying plant biology to a regional partner's problem.
Titles and venues here are illustrative. UW–Porter Falls is fictional; Elena has no real publication record.
Get in touch
The fastest way to reach Elena is email (epersson@uwporterfalls.edu); messages during the fall and spring terms are usually answered within two business days. Prospective students and families can ask the Biology department office to set up a call, a class visit, or a meeting during an admitted-student day.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Elena Persson is not a real person; this profile, the degree, the email address and the background are all invented.