About Prof. Laaser

Prof. Laaser is a physical chemist with a strong interest in polymer physics and polymeric materials.

She received her Ph.D in 2013 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked with Martin Zanni to develop new methods in ultrafast spectroscopy for investigating the structure and dynamics of molecules at interfaces. After leaving UW-Madison, she was a postdoctoral associate at the University of Minnesota, where she worked with Timothy Lodge to develop a detailed understanding of micelle-based polyelectrolyte complexes for gene delivery applications.

She joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in August 2016, where she now runs a research group straddling the boundary between physical chemistry, polymer physics, and polymeric materials.

Outside of her research, Prof. Laaser has a strong interest in science outreach, and can often be found explaining cool science to anyone who will listen.

Awards and Honors

• Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Award (2022)
• NSF CAREER Award (2018)
• L’Oreal For Women in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014)
• AAAS Mass Media Fellowship (2013)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2008)

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