Laura is the Research Manager for Rural and Small Town Studies at UNBC.

She has been engaged in national research teams for the New Rural Economy Project and the On the Move Project, where the BC team examined the impacts of long distance labour commuting on workers, workplace practices, their families, and source and host communities. Laura has also completed complementary work to understand the socio-economic pressures and opportunities for rapidly growing communities through a 5-year tracking study in Kitimat during Rio Tinto’s modernization project; an international study examining best practices guiding industry, work camp, and community relationships for the BC Natural Gas Workforce Strategy Committee; and through a multi-year Resource Royalties Project conducted in the Peace River Region in BC and the Surat Basin in Australia. Most recently, she has been exploring how small municipalities are responding to municipal reforms through innovative and entrepreneurial endeavors.

She has also completed extensive work on infrastructure and capacity gaps that are affecting the resiliency of the rural non-profit sector. This culminated in a presentation to the Senate Special Committee on the Charitable Sector that examined the impact of provincial and federal policies on rural non-profits. Laura also served on the board of directors for the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation where she was part of the editorial team for the first State of Rural Canada report.