Rate My Professor Laura Kaufman

Kaufman's interdisciplinary laboratory employs advanced imaging modalities, including single-molecule and super-resolution techniques, to probe the dynamics of crowded and complex systems. Her research spans heterogeneous relaxations in supercooled liquids and polymeric glasses, exciton dynamics in conjugated polymers for optoelectronic applications, mechanical and structural properties of biopolymer hydrogels, and mechanisms of cancer cell invasion and sorting in three-dimensional tissue mimics. Among her major honors are the NYSTAR Young Investigator Award, the Beckman Young Investigator Award in 2006, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and the 2012 Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award. Key publications include "Exploiting differential effects of actomyosin contractility to control cell sorting among breast cancer cells" (Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2021), "Volumetric chemical imaging by clearing-enhanced stimulated Raman scattering microscopy" (PNAS, 2019), "Confocal rheology probes structure and mechanics of collagen through the sol-gel transition" (Biophysical Journal, 2017), and earlier influential works such as "Glioma expansion in collagen I matrices: analyzing collagen concentration-dependent growth and motility patterns" (2005, 340 citations). With over 5,700 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions have significantly impacted fields ranging from soft matter physics to cancer biophysics, informing designs of responsive materials and therapeutic strategies.