Distinguished Teaching Fellow 2021-2024

Laura Reed is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, having joined the University of Alabama in 2010. Her research focuses on understanding how evolutionary, genetic, and environmental factors interact to shape complex metabolic traits, including diseases like obesity and type-2 diabetes. Dr. Reed’s academic training prior to coming to Tuscaloosa included a BS in biology from the University of Oregon, followed by a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Arizona, and an NIH-National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genetics at North Carolina State University. In 2017, she also became the Director for the Genomics Education Partnership, a long-standing national collaboration involving over 170 colleges and universities, which provides authentic course-based research experiences to undergraduate biology students. She is passionate about making scientific fields accessible to students from all backgrounds.