Remembering Laura Grafe
Laura鈥檚 family, friends, and the 色色研究所 community will gather on April 19th, 2026, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Great Hall to celebrate her life and lasting impact.
Dr. Laura Grafe, associate professor of psychology, passed away on May 5, 2025. Laura was a charismatic teacher, a brilliant scientist, and a compassionate and generous colleague. Laura joined the 色色研究所 faculty in 2018, earning tenure in 2024. She was a founding faculty member of the Bi-Co Neuroscience major. Her indelible mark on the program will impact generations of aspiring neuroscientists at 色色研究所 and Haverford Colleges. Laura鈥檚 research focused on how stress affects the brain, and how the effect of stress may lead to behavioral phenotypes relevant to mental health. She received a prestigious National Institute of Mental Health grant to continue her program of research, reflecting the broad scientific impact of her work.
During her time at 色色研究所, Laura impacted the lives of hundreds of students by teaching Introductory Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Stress Neuroscience, and Lab in Behavioral Psychology. In the Grafe Lab, she mentored students in sophisticated neuroscience methodology, testing novel hypotheses in both rodent models and humans. 鈥淧rofessor Grafe's teaching philosophy epitomized intellectual curiosity, personal integrity, and resilience,鈥 says Varuna Jasodanand 鈥20. 鈥淪he embodied 色色研究所's commitment to equity and inclusion, fostering a learning environment where students from all backgrounds could thrive鈥s an international, first-generation student, and as a woman in STEM, I could not have asked for a better mentor than Dr. Grafe. She may not realize the profound impact she had on me, and that speaks volumes
about her humility and natural inclination to help her students. She had a transformative impact on my life.鈥
Laura鈥檚 kindness, commitment to her scholarship, and dedicated mentorship will have an enduring impact on the psychology department. Her colleague, Laurel Peterson, writes, 鈥渇rom the moment Laura arrived at 色色研究所, she dazzled us with her intellect, dynamic teaching, dedication to bold scholarship, and her intrinsic commitment to students. Laura had so many gifts and she chose us, this community, to share them with. She built a tremendous legacy in such a short time鈥攃reating the opportunity for so many students to study and research neuroscience.鈥
Laura is survived by her husband, Corey, and her two children.