Elena Romanova

Elena Romanova is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from UIUC (2005) and a Biology undergraduate degree from Belarusian State University. Her research focuses on bioanalytical chemistry, with emphasis on mass spectrometry, microanalysis, and liquid separation techniques to study neurochemical changes in nervous systems under pathophysiological conditions. She leads technological innovations in neuroproteomics/neurometabolomics, particularly investigating drug abuse/addiction mechanisms and cell-cell signaling dynamics.

Key research areas include single-cell peptidomics, neuroendocrine profiling, and mass spectrometry imaging. Her work supports national/international neuroscience collaborations through the Neuroproteomics & Neurometabolomics Center. Notable contributions include pioneering methods for d-amino acid peptide discovery, differential peptidomics in addiction models, and high-throughput single-cell analysis. Recent studies explore evolutionary adaptations in stickleback ecotypes and camel osmoregulation, demonstrating interdisciplinary reach.

Publications span Journal of Neurochemistry, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, and Nature Methods, with over 70 peer-reviewed articles. Research integrates bioinformatics tools for prohormone annotation and emphasizes translational applications in neurodegenerative diseases and regenerative medicine. Active in method development for quantitative biomarker identification in complex biological systems.