Laura L Symonds
St Petersburg,FL
Summary
Highly personable, service-oriented educator with over 30 years of experience teaching, curriculum design, and technology and software use. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a team, clearly present written and spoken material, instill confidence in learners. Known for educating students at different ages and educational levels, collaboratively working to complete large projects, and cross-disciplinary scholarship. Excited to welcome and assist visitors with their requests, and to contribute to tasks essential to the running of a public library with a strong mission to serve the public.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Professor Emerita
Michigan State University
08.2023 - Current
- Led education abroad program in Italy/UK (2024 & 2025) in which college students completed 3 courses, acquired intercultural skills, and expanded translatable skills for jobs upon graduation
- Coached assistant instructor to lead Foundations of Neuroscience education abroad program to ensure will continue to offer valuable intercultural experiences to students in 2025 and beyond
Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Neuroscience Program
Michigan State University
01.2015 - 01.2023
- Designed undergraduate neuroscience program; created curriculum, secured administrative approvals, and recruited teaching faculty allowing students to major in a vital new scientific discipline
- Directed new undergraduate neuroscience program, taught courses in the program and participated in hiring new faculty, growing the number of faculty members from two to nine in first 3 years
- Developed extracurricular opportunities for neuroscience majors, including attendance at university/regional conferences, neuroscience club, and research to ensure student success upon graduation
- Delivered presentations to student visitors, parents, university administrators to recruit 1st-year students and current non-majors, increasing enrollment from 78 in 2011 to over 1,000 in 2023
Assistant Professor
Michigan State University
01.1997 - 01.2023
- Developed research program and secured federal and foundation funding ($500,000) to use fMRI to investigate neural processing of human pain and depression to identify clinical neural targets
- Directed fMRI pain and depression research laboratory, including laboratory manager, over 20 undergraduate and 4 graduate students, a postdoctoral fellow and two visiting scientists
- Published 25 peer-reviewed research papers in well-known scientific journals
- Delivered over 50 scientific talks at national and regional conferences
Research Faculty Project Scientist
University of California, San Diego
01.1994 - 01.1997
- Developed research projects using neuroimaging to investigate neural characteristics of psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia
- Worked with a team to develop methods for anatomical investigations of brain scans
- Supervised research projects of two undergraduate students at UCSD
Education
B.S. - Psychology
Vanderbilt University
Ph.D. - Anatomy/Neurobiology
University of Pennsylvania
Postdoctoral Fellowships - undefined
Princeton University and Oxford University
Oxford, UKOxford University College Fellow - undefined
Corpus Christi College Oxford University
UKSkills
- Supportive communication skills
- Fostering inclusive learning environments
- Proficient in software applications
- Facilitating group collaboration
- Crafting clear funding proposals
- Academic writing for journals
- Managing large academic program
- Public speaking expertise
- Proficient in audience engagement
Timeline
Associate Professor Emerita
Michigan State University
08.2023 - Current
Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Neuroscience Program
Michigan State University
01.2015 - 01.2023
Assistant Professor
Michigan State University
01.1997 - 01.2023
Research Faculty Project Scientist
University of California, San Diego
01.1994 - 01.1997
Oxford University College Fellow - undefined
Corpus Christi College Oxford University
Postdoctoral Fellowships - undefined
Princeton University and Oxford University
Ph.D. - Anatomy/Neurobiology
University of Pennsylvania
B.S. - Psychology
Vanderbilt University