Dr. Porzig's current research is in:
- Early Human Developmental Biology: From Egg to Embryo
- Organogenesis: Pattern formation
- Sex Determination in Embryogenesis
Dr. Porzig received her Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford and was awarded the Kallman Award for the outstanding woman graduate student in the biomedical sciences. Dr. Porzig has been teaching Biology and Human Biology students since 1980. She is a Professor (Teaching) of Developmental Biology. She is currently President of Stanford Phi Beta Kappa, and recently served for eight years as Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the School of Medicine. She won the 1990 Walter Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2000 and 2010 won the Henry Kaiser Award for Excellence in Pre-clinical Teaching. In 2010 she was awarded the Human Biology Faculty Award for Excellence in Advising. In addition to teaching Stanford medical students and undergraduates, Ellen enjoys skiing, hiking, music and travel with her husband, Klaus Porzig M.D. (Stanford) and their three daughters.