Elif was born in Izmir, Turkiye. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, after completing her master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering at Istanbul University, Turkiye. Her doctoral research focused on the continuous fermentation of Yarrowia lipolytica and on the utilization of one-carbon (C₁) and two-carbon (C₂) substrates to enhance lipid production.

In 2026, Elif joined MIT as a postdoctoral associate in the Stephanopoulos Lab. She is currently working on a Schmidt Science-funded project to improve carotenoid production in scale-up and chemostat operations, held at RPI, Troy.