Elizabeth Ricker holds a degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from MIT.  During her time at MIT, she did research in educational technology, neuroscience and cognitive science, and developmental biology at the MIT Media Lab, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.  After graduation, she worked at a Carnegie Mellon educational technology spin-off company called Carnegie Learning and helped start a web company called Slique in Cambridge, MA.  Her opinions on education have also been influenced by the schools she attended before MIT: Phillips Exeter Academy for high school (known for its use of the Harkness teaching method) and the Shady Hill School (characterized by its progressive educational philosophy), as well as her experiences teaching science and squash to both adults and children in the Boston area.