Ulschan studied Biochemistry in Halle/Saale and did her PhD at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry. She focused on elucidation and engineering of plant diterpene biosynthesis and stepped into Synthetic Biology during a short postdoc phase. Supported by a Walter Benjamin fellowship, she then joined the University of Florida and worked on continuous directed evolution of short-lived enzymes. She is now a group leader at the Technical University of Munich exploring how to engineer carbon availability in crops.
Ulschan is a martial arts enthusiast and a mother of three children.