Laura Lavery

Laura Lavery is an Assistant Professor in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University, where she leads research on epigenetic mechanisms in brain development and neurological disorders.

Her educational background includes:

• B.S. in Biochemistry (2006) from the University of Texas at Austin
• Ph.D. in Biophysics (2013) from the University of California, San Francisco
• Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014-2021) in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Lavery's research integrates human genetics, in vivo rodent neuroscience, and biochemical analysis to investigate how epigenetic dysregulation—particularly involving DNA methylation and DNMT3A—contributes to conditions like Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome, Heyn-Sproul-Jackson syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms with behavioral outcomes in neurodevelopmental contexts.

She directs the Lavery Lab, which focuses on elucidating the molecular basis of behavior through interdisciplinary approaches to understand pathogenic mutations and their neurological consequences.