Laura A. Foster

Laura A. Foster is an Assistant Professor at Indiana University's Maurer School of Law, with research focusing on the intersection of intellectual property law, gender studies, and social justice. Her scholarly work examines how patent law and intellectual property frameworks interact with feminist theory, indigenous knowledge systems, and biotechnology.

Her research interests include Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, Feminist Legal Theory, Gender Studies, Biotechnology Law, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and Social Security Law. Foster's work critically analyzes how legal frameworks impact marginalized communities, with particular attention to race, gender, and indigenous rights within intellectual property systems.

Foster's publication record shows a consistent focus on the intersection of law, gender, and technology. Her most recent work examines smart farming technologies in East Africa through the lens of indigeneity, gender, and data sovereignty. Earlier works explore patent law struggles over breast cancer genes and the Hoodia plant, feminist perspectives on the public domain, and race and gender discrimination in social security systems.

Her scholarship demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary approach, connecting legal theory with anthropology, gender studies, and technology studies to examine how intellectual property frameworks shape social relations and power dynamics.