Laura Puaca

Laura M. Puaca is a Professor in the Department of History at Christopher Newport University and serves as the Director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program and the Hampton Roads Oral History Project. Her scholarship bridges intersections of modern U.S. history, women’s and gender studies, disability history, and the history of science and technology.

• PhD in 20th Century U.S. and Women's Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• MA in History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• BA in History/Women's Studies, Rutgers University

Her research examines disability history through the lens of postwar domestic labor, technocratic feminism, and educational policy. Recent publications focus on vocational rehabilitation for disabled homemakers, gendered scientific labor dynamics, and suffrage-era scientific institutions.

Notable awards include the Margaret W. Rossiter Prize (2017), Disability History Association Publication Award (2017), and multiple teaching excellence recognitions at Christopher Newport University. She also contributes to edited collections and oral history initiatives in the Hampton Roads region.