Elsa graduated in 1983 from the University of Sheffield with a BSc in Biochemistry.

She worked as a Biomedical Scientist in Haematology at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, where she gained her Fellowship in Haematology in 1989 (and was awarded the prize for the highest mark).

After a move to the West Country in 1996, she worked as a University research technician in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, followed by a stint in Clinical Chemistry at Weston General Hospital before starting her present role in 1999.

Elsa has been co-author on a number of scientific publications.