Her research is broadly interdisciplinary, combining environmental history with studies of science, technology, and public health. She is principal investigator in the Landscapes of Change study, which resulted in the book, Baptized in PCBs: Race, Pollution, and Justice in an All-American Town, published in 2014 by the University of North Carolina Press. The book has received numerous awards, including the 2015 Francis B. Simkins Prize from the Southern Historical Association, and the 2015 Reed Environmental Writing Award, from the Southern Environmental Law Center. Ellen has spoken on the social costs of pollution around the U.S. and internationally, including at the 6th International PCB Workshop in Visby, Sweden.