Elizabeth Ulanova, based in Cambridge-Boston and London, works at the intersection of culture, art, tech, and design. In 2024, she founded Girls In Research—the world’s first global, virtual, research and tech incubator for high school girls. Built from ideation to launch in just 3 weeks and scaled in under 1 year, G.I.R enrolled students in 29 countries across 5 continents, with applicants from over 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. Many have gone on to win global STEM honors, including gold medals at science Olympiads, international hackathons, prestigious research fairs, as well as gaining admission to top universities. Today, Girls In Research is a living prototype of the concept Ingenuity Ecology—Elizabeth’s work-in-progress, systems-based-framework that sees untapped human potential as the world’s most underutilized resource for solving this era's most pressing global challenges. For her G.I.R work, Elizabeth was awarded University of Cambridge Downing College's Young Alumna Of The Year (2025), and was also elected Fellow Commoner at the University of Cambridge (2025-2026).
Academically, Elizabeth graduated from the University of Cambridge (M.Phil, Sociology of Media and Culture, Twining Egginton Prize) and Columbia University (B.A., Visual Arts, Magna Cum Laude, Leadership Service Award). She then trained at the Harvard 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 served as a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies CSFP Fellow, was a graduate Harvard TA, and completed 2 independent research studies with senior faculty. As a graduate student researcher at Harvard, Elizabeth explored the revitalization of underutilized landscapes in her studio work—from using play equity as a design intervention for urban renewal to reimagining cemeteries as regenerative ecological systems. She was also awarded 3 consecutive Spark Grants from Harvard Innovation Lab. Therefore, after completing her final independent research study during her third year, Elizabeth pivoted from graduate studies at Harvard to launch her own company. As a sociologist at Cambridge, she conducted original research on the effects of social media on romantic relationships. She also helped launch the first student art studio at Downing College, University of Cambridge. At Columbia University, Elizabeth conducted an anthology film series for her senior thesis, while completing 2 independent studies with the department chair, Matthew Buckingham.
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 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, Laisun Keane Gallery, 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 an avid cooking documentary enthusiast and the proud dog mom of 2 adopted pit bulls—Brave (deceased) and Skylar—and is often found driving with her furry companion.
