Ellen completed her undergraduate studies in 2018 in Psychology, Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience at Royal Holloway, University of London. Ellen completed a master's degree in 2019 in Translational Neuroscience and Medicine at Queen Mary, University of London, with a thesis focusing on the role of diet on dementia risk. In 2020, Ellen joined the SCORES project, an online longitudinal study of former athlete brain health, which combined her experience in sport as an athlete and coach, and her expertise in Neuroscience and Neuropsychology. Ellen completed her PhD in 2024 at the University of East Anglia’s School of Health Sciences with a thesis focusing on monitoring the brain health of former athletes online. Ellen then went on to work as a Research Associate at the University of East Anglia’s Medical School with the INDICATE study - an online study of changes in thinking in dementia and how they relate to fitness to drive.
Ellen joined Loughborough University as a Research Associate in 2025, returning to work on the SCORES project with Dr Michael J Grey. Her work now focuses on maintaining and growing the ongoing longitudinal study.
Ellen is an experienced mixed methods researcher with expertise in using quantitative and qualitative methods in health research. Ellen’s research focuses on using online methods to understand the link between contact sport and dementia, by monitoring the cognitive, mental, behavioural and sleep health of former athletes as they age as part of the SCORES project. Her PhD research focused on setting up the project and examining the acceptability, validity and initial results of the study. Returning to the project in her current role as a Research Associate, Ellen is working with Dr Michael J Grey on growing and maintaining the longitudinal project, examining how modifiable lifestyle factors may influence risk of cognitive decline in contact sport athletes, and understanding differences in how the brain health of male and female athletes might be affected by exposure to contact sport. Her current role is funded by the Professional Football Association (PFA).
Ellen has also worked on the INDICATE study at the University of East Anglia, which examined how the progression of cognitive decline in people with dementia is related to fitness to drive. Working on this project fuelled Ellen’s interest in research that aims to improve the lives of those living with dementia, as well as her primary interest of examining modifiable risk factors for dementia. Ellen is open to collaboration within any of these broad research areas.
Ellen is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has experience teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate courses, with a particular focus on cognitive neuroscience, functional neuroanatomy, dementia and sport-related brain injury. Ellen has served as a peer reviewer for the European Journal of Sport Science.
Ellen has shared her research at national and international conferences including the International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport, the European College of Sports Science Conference, and the Women in Sport Exercise Academic Network Conference. She was also an invited keynote speaker at Headway Suffolk’s Neuro Conference.
Featured publication
Boucher, E. F., Grey, M.J., Hornberger, M. and Hanson, S., 2024. Online longitudinal monitoring of brain health in former contact sport athletes: A study of acceptability and ethicality. European Journal of Sport Science, 24(5), pp.549-556. DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12052