Ellen Roche is an Associate Professor (W.M Keck Foundation Career Development Professor) at the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She directs the Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab.  She completed her PhD at Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on applying innovative technologies to the development of cardiac devices. Her research includes development of novel devices to repair or augment cardiac function using disruptive approaches such as soft robotics, combination of mechanical actuation with delivery of cell therapy, and use of light activated biodegradable adhesives.

Prof. Roche was employed in the medical device industry for over five years as a research and development engineer and employs her understanding of the medical device industry and the regulatory pathways to medical device commercialization in her academic research. She holds multiple issued and pending patents and is the author of over 40 journal papers. Her doctoral research led to technology for a start-up Holistick Medical who are commercializing the technology, and she sits on the Board of three other medical device companies. She is the recipient of multiple awards including the Fulbright International Science and Technology Award, the Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science, an American Heart Association Pre-Doctoral Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an NIH Trailblazer Award and a Charles H. Hood Award for Excellence in Child Health Research. 

Her mentoring and teaching have been recognized with a Thomas McMahon mentoring award and a Junior Bose Teaching Award.