Laurie Stevison

Academic Career

Despite being early in my academic career, I have been conducting independent research for over 15 years. My first research experience was in a summer biomedical research program at LSU, funded by BRIN at the NIH. Together with my mentor, Dr. Mohamed Noor, this experience led to my co-first authored publication (Stevison et al 2004). In my master’s degree at Rice University with Dr. Michael Kohn, I mentored undergraduates and established independent collaborations to collect primate samples for my work. I later re-joined Dr. Noor’s lab for a PhD after he relocated to Duke University. During my PhD I secured independent funds for my research, including an NSF-DDIG which resulted in a sole authored paper (Stevison 2012). As a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Jeff Wall, I secured funding for part of my postdoctoral training through an NIH NRSA.  

Since starting my faculty position, I have built a strong lab group, currently with four PhD students. I graduated one master’s student with a job in industry and I have trained two postdocs, one currently employed in industry and one in academia as an Assistant Professor at Penn State. I have also trained over 50 undergraduates, some of whom have co-authored publications. As such, I was recently recognized as one of the 2022 recipients of the COSAM Outstanding Faculty Undergraduate Mentor Award.

Auburn's Land Grant Mission

As a faculty member in Alabama, the land grant mission of the university is central to my role as an educator. I have a passion for sharing my knowledge as an expert in my field with the residents of Alabama. 

In teaching STEM, I aim to foster a sense of belonging in my students so they feel welcome in the classroom setting. It is important to not only teach the science, but also to highlight the people who did this work. From my textbooks, I highlight examples of scientists that had major contributions to their fields. This includes role models like Dr. Tsuneko Okazaki and her husband who discovered how DNA replication works. It also includes examples like Alfred Sturtevant who skipped his exams as an undergraduate to build the first genetic map, making his success relatable to students. In teaching and mentoring, I try to remind my students that we are all human and humans make mistakes. So, to be rigorous in science we need to do things over and over again and make sure our work is reproducible. I try to get to know the undergraduates in my lab and help all of my trainees make connections within the field so they have a strong network of other scientists when they leave the lab. Being a first generation college graduate myself, I value these connections, which were crucial for me to learn to navigate academia over the years, while still being myself. 

Finally, as a lab, we are dedicated to making an inclusive space that is welcoming to anyone who wants to experience research. All students who join the lab are provided a transparent set of expectations, which includes treating others with respect and dignity but also maintaining the rigor of science.