Elizabeth Ulanova designs embodied systems of play, care, and learning—through art, research, and civic interventions that re-center agency in a digitally saturated world. Based in Cambridge-Boston and London, she works at the intersection of culture, art, tech, and design.
In 2024, she founded Girls In Research (G.I.R) —the world’s first global, virtual, research and tech incubator for high school girls. Built from ideation to launch in just 3 weeks, G.I.R enrolled students in 29 countries across 5 continents, with applicants from 50+ nations in its first 6 months. G.I.R scholars—mentored by the top 1% of global researchers—have led university-level projects ranging from creating nutrition-dense food powders from agricultural waste to developing a multimodal deep learning model for cancer treatment outcomes. Today, Girls In Research is a living prototype of the concept Ingenuity Ecology—Elizabeth’s developing framework that sees untapped human potential as the world’s most underutilized resource. For her G.I.R work, Elizabeth was awarded University of Cambridge Downing College's Young Alumna Of The Year (2025), and Fellow Commoner at the University of Cambridge (2025-2026), along with entrepreneurship residencies in both London and Boston.
Academically, Elizabeth is a first-generation graduate of Columbia University (B.A., Visual Arts, Magna Cum Laude, Leadership Service Award) and the University of Cambridge (M.Phil, Sociology of Media and Culture, Twining Egginton Prize). She then trained at Harvard University Graduate School of Design (M.L.A., Landscape Architecture Candidate) as a Full-Tuition Dean’s Merit Scholar, ranking at the top of her Harvard admissions class. She researched as a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies Fellow, was a Harvard graduate teaching assistant, and completed 2 independent research studies with senior faculty. As a graduate student researcher at Harvard, Elizabeth explored the revitalization of underutilized landscapes—from reimagining cemeteries as regenerative ecological systems to championing play equity as a design intervention for urban renewal. This work led her to create Recess (3X Harvard Spark Grant Recipient at Harvard Innovation Lab), which hosted playground game sessions for adults as a revolutionary intervention for restoring joy, building community, and reclaiming public access. Beyond play equity - it inspired Elizabeth to utilize civic design as a tool for rebuilding lost potential. Therefore, after completing her final independent research study during her third year, Elizabeth pivoted from graduate studies at Harvard to launch her own company G.I.R.
A multidisciplinary artist and writer, Elizabeth’s artistic practice is rooted in fluid, psychological storytelling. As a survivor of domestic violence, a neurodivergent child of immigrants, and a first-generation American, her first love has always been the art of crafting dialogue. Elizabeth's diverse body of work—spanning abstract biowax sculpture, fluid painting, conceptual video installations, graphic renderings, and poetry—has been exhibited in Boston, New York, and England and includes major venues such as Boston City Hall Galleries (2024), Fountain Street Gallery (2023), and Gallery 263 (2023). She has held a solo residency exhibition Fluid Memory at Industry Lab (2023) and performed original poetry at Boston cultural landmarks such as Abigail Ogilvy Gallery (2024), Laisun Keane Gallery (2024), and on New England’s first public television channel, GBH (2024).
California-born, Elizabeth is a New Yorker at heart and has lived in Asia and Europe. A lifelong traveler, she has visited countries on 5 continents. Professionally, she has held leadership roles in ed-tech and nonprofit sectors, including serving as National President of the Ivy League Council and the Head of the U.S. expansion for Project Access. After completing high school early, she worked in corporate education while studying Mandarin in China. Outside of work, she is a cocktail mixologist, cooking documentary cinephile, and the proud dog mom of 2 adopted pit bulls—Brave (deceased) and Skylar.
