Elaine Haase, Ph.D., began her career working as a clinical microbiologist performing bacteriology, mycology and parasitology assays. She went on to earn a M.S. degree in medical technology studying antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from cystic fibrosis patients. She continued in research, earning a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University at Buffalo (UB), focusing on the P2 porin protein of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae from patients with otitis media. Through protein isolation by gel chromatography and the production of monoclonal antibodies, she was able to epitope map the P2 protein. She transitioned to the Department of Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine at UB, serving as a research scientist and lecturer.

One investigation focused on the identification, transcription and gene regulation of flp fimbriae from the periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Other research involved proteomic and transcriptomic studies of the interaction of commensal Streptococcus gordonii and its amylase-binding proteins with salivary proteins and other oral microbes. An understanding of the acquisition of these proteins among oral streptococcal strains has been gained through comparative genomics. Currently, she is working on the discovery of bacteriophages in oral microbes and their effect on oral ecology.