Elba E. Serrano was born in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her father was in the US military and so their family lived in many parts of the world following him while he was stationed in the Caribbean, Central American, and Taiwan. An so she grew up surrounded by multiple cultures and languages. She received a BS in physics from the University of Rochester but was drawn to questions about the physical processes in biology and sensory phenomena and so she obtained a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences/Biophysics from Stanford University.
After receiving her degree she worked as a post-doc at Stanford and the UCLA Medical School before joining New Mexico State University in 1991.
Dr. Serrano’s research now focuses on the ear, hearing, and how this structure plays a role in balance. This work ties together many areas and approaches of biology, neuroscience, and signal processing. She is affiliated with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at NMSU. More details of her work can be found on the web page of her lab http://biology-web.nmsu.edu/serrano/neurolab/neurolab.html, referenced 11 November 2007.
In 2002/3 the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) chose Dr. Serrano as an International Lecturer in Women in Science and Engineering. She and one of her graduate students traveled to Brazil to speak on their experience as women scientists. More information can be found in the SACNAS Biography Project at https://www.sacnas.org/team/elba-serrano-phd/, referenced 14 May 2021 and on her personal website, http://elbaserrano.com/index.html, referenced 14 May 2021.