Laura Wilder

Laura Wilder is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of English at the University at Albany, where she has served since 2005. Her academic profile centers on advancing rhetoric and composition scholarship through empirical research and pedagogical innovation.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD from the University of Texas at Austin
• MFA from the University of Iowa

Professor Wilder's research spans rhetoric and composition with concentrated expertise in writing across the curriculum (WAC), writing in the disciplines (WID), writing studies methodologies, rhetorical invention theories, and the history of English Studies. Her work emphasizes longitudinal empirical studies of student writing experiences, particularly examining the transformative potential of first-year writing courses through comparative frameworks that document divergent student journeys across academic disciplines.

Her publication trajectory from 2002-2020 reveals consistent engagement with writing transfer phenomena, cross-disciplinary writing practices, and rhetorical foundations of literary scholarship. Key patterns include methodological innovation in longitudinal research, integration of rhetorical theory with creative writing pedagogy, and critical examinations of disciplinary conventions in undergraduate writing instruction.

Her distinguished recognition includes:

• 2025 Best WAC Monograph award for "Tracing the Impact of First-Year Writing"
• 2014 Research Impact Award for "Rhetorical Strategies and Genre Conventions in Literary Studies"
• 2015 University at Albany President's Award for Excellence in Teaching
• 2015 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching

Research funding includes a 2014 CCCC Research Initiative Grant supporting her landmark longitudinal study of 58 students. While specific graduate advisees aren't enumerated, her projects demonstrate extensive mentorship through collaborative research design, data collection, and publication opportunities for students.