Elissa Welle was a news reporter for The Transmitter from 2023 to 2024, where she covered neurodegeneration and a smorgasbord of other basic neuroscience research. Before joining the newsroom in late 2023, she worked as an intern reporter for Reuters, Nature, STAT News and The Detroit Free Press. She has also written for The Chronicle of Higher Education and her alma mater’s student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Her days as a scientist were spent designing and fabricating tiny electrodes for single-neuron electrophysiology recordings.
Elissa Welle
Former reporter
The Transmitter
From this contributor
Persistent protein pairing enables memories to last
By
Elissa Welle
17 July 2024 | 5 min read
10 standards for brain electrode-array recordings enhance reproducibility
By
Elissa Welle
12 July 2024 | 5 min read
Climbing to new heights: Q&A with Kaspar Podgorski
By
Elissa Welle
21 June 2024 | 8 min read
Reviving ‘inside-out’ hypothesis of amyloid beta to explain Alzheimer’s mysteries
By
Elissa Welle
29 May 2024 | 8 min read
New method reignites controversy over brain clearance during sleep
By
Elissa Welle
22 May 2024 | 8 min read
Education
- M.S. in science journalism, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, University of Michigan
- B.S. in bioengineering, Cornell University
Fellowships
- AAAS Mass Media Fellowship in 2022
Articles
- “Utah array characterization and histological analysis of a multi-year implant in non-human primate motor and sensory cortices” | Journal of Neural Engineering
- “Sharpened and mechanically durable carbon fiber electrode arrays for neural recording” | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
- “Multi-channel intraneural vagus nerve recordings with a novel high-density carbon fiber microelectrode array” | Scientific Reports
- “Ultra-small carbon fiber electrode recording site optimization and improved in vivo chronic recording yield” | Journal of Neural Engineering
Explore more from The Transmitter
Bringing African ancestry into cellular neuroscience
Two independent teams in Africa are developing stem cell lines and organoids from local populations to explore neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.
Bringing African ancestry into cellular neuroscience
Two independent teams in Africa are developing stem cell lines and organoids from local populations to explore neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.
By
Lauren Schenkman
14 January 2026 | 7 min read
Tomaso Poggio on his quest for theories to explain the fundamental learning abilities of brains and machines
Thus far, engineering has outpaced theory in the science of intelligence. But Poggio is hopeful that theories can catch up.
Tomaso Poggio on his quest for theories to explain the fundamental learning abilities of brains and machines
Thus far, engineering has outpaced theory in the science of intelligence. But Poggio is hopeful that theories can catch up.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
14 January 2026 | 1 min read
Alzheimer’s disease and autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 January.
Alzheimer’s disease and autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 January.
By
Jill Adams
13 January 2026 | 2 min read