Laura Mccaslin
Dr. Laura McCaslin runs a research group in theoretical chemical physics at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA. Her group specializes in studying the electronic structure, photochemistry, and dynamics of small to midsize molecules and clusters. McCaslin began her research career spring 2011 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studying photosynthesis in plants and bacteria. However, once she dabbled in theoretical research, she was an instant convert. McCaslin performed research at UC Berkeley on interactions of ions and water in small clusters. After completing a BS in Chemical Biology in the spring of 2012, she answered the call of Texas and began graduate school at UT Austin in the fall of 2012. McCaslin explored a wide variety of research projects during her PhD in the field of small molecule chemical physics, completing her PhD in the fall of 2016. Because moving to Texas from California wasn’t enough of a culture shock, she accepted a postdoc position at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in January 2017, where she worked on projects in molecular dynamics and atmospheric chemistry. She began her independent career at Sandia National Labs in her home state of California in Spring 2020.