Lab Warrior Spotlight: Laura Hamann

The first time I met Laura Hamann, she was sitting in my Anatomy and Physiology class—sharp-eyed, wide open to wonder, and already asking questions that cut straight to the marrow of the science. It took about 30 seconds to realize she was something special. Not just smart (though she is wildly, wickedly smart), but kind. Curious. A natural leader who made room for everyone in the conversation, whether we were talking about nerve conduction or necrosis. By the end of the first week, I knew the CHAOS Lab needed her. And I was right.

These days, Laura’s the kind of researcher who can make a room go quiet—not because she demands it, but because when she talks, you want to listen. She brings the full weight of lived experience, resilience, and raw intellectual firepower to the bench. And trust me, you want her on your team.

Now based at the University of Louisville, Laura is knee-deep in biology with her sights set on clinical applications of extremophiles—because of course she is. While most of the world is still thinking of microbes as icky, Laura is asking: What if these bizarre, overlooked organisms hold the key to fighting antibiotic resistance? If that sounds intense, it is—and so is she, in the best way. She recently coauthored a forthcoming paper on IUD biofilms (her words: “ask me about it—it’ll ruin brunch”), where she helped translate tangled microbial data into clinical insight. And now? She’s elbows-deep in cave isolates, resistance screens, and hypotheses that walk the line between brilliant and “wait, can we actually test that?”

But science isn’t something Laura stumbled into. It’s something she fought for.

She didn’t grow up in systems designed to support women like her—and she wasn’t always the person she is now. Laura forged herself in fire, taking the self-doubt, trauma, and alienation that might have silenced someone else, and using it as fuel. She didn’t just step into science—she charged in and lit up the room. And she made damn sure to turn around and hold the door open for others.

Coming back to school in her 40s, she found her people in science—the curious, the compassionate, the slightly unhinged (hello, welcome to CHAOS). She’s been a PTA VP, theater board member, president of a women’s group, autism advocate, and relentless systems navigator. Every one of those experiences is now a tool she brings to the bench: a laser-sharp ability to communicate, advocate, organize, and lead. And yes, she also has a favorite virus. (The T4 bacteriophage. She 3D-printed it. It’s a tiny alien war machine. We approve.)

Laura’s dream is as big as her grit. She’s aiming for a PhD in clinical microbiology with aspirations to bring tools like laser capture microdissection and environmental geoscience together to solve medical problems—because antibiotic resistance and environmental disease don’t respect disciplinary boundaries, and neither does she. She’s all-in on the power of collaborative, cross-cutting research. If it’s bold, weird, and meaningful, she’s probably already on it.

When she’s not blowing minds in the lab, you’ll find her on the pickleball court, in a kayak, or casting a line with her family. She trained for a 10K recently—not because she loves running, but because her friends said she couldn’t (spoiler: she crushed it and aced calculus). She finds her zen in laser cutting at the library makerspace. Her version of mindfulness involves precision tools and possibly sharp edges.

Laura Hamann is the kind of scientist who doesn’t just ask why—she asks what now? She’s the kind of teammate who turns chaos into direction, the kind of mentor who shows others they’re more than enough, and the kind of human who reminds you why we do this work in the first place. CHAOS Lab wouldn’t be the same without her.

To Laura: You’re fierce, brilliant, and exactly what science needs. Keep setting things on fire (metaphorically…mostly).

Feral Firestarter. Biofilm Buster. CHAOS Catalyst.