Laura Lunsford


Biography:

Dr. Laura Lunsford is an evaluator at NSF and a research affiliate at Campbell University, known for her expertise in evaluation, leadership, and mentoring within STEM fields. Her contributions extend globally, including her role as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Germany, where she studied the initiation of mentorship in a STEM-focused online, global talent development program for highly gifted youth.

Lunsford has written over 50 peer-reviewed articles, case studies, and chapters on leadership and mentoring. She was a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics consensus committee that authored one of their most downloaded reports, “The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM.” She has presented at top conferences in her field, including at the American Psychological Association, the International Leadership Association, the International Mentoring Association, and the American Educational Research Association. 

Prior to working at NSF, she was a tenured professor of psychology and assistant dean at Campbell University and a tenured associate professor at the University of Arizona. She has significant administrative experience, having worked at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and served in director roles at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Cameron School of Business, and at North Carolina State University. Lunsford earned her doctorate from North Carolina State University in applied social and community psychology.