Experience

Scriptoria Sustainable Development Communications

• Head of Training and Knowledge Management Consultant

  • Feb 2019 - Present

  Scriptoria is a sustainable development communications company with an international reputation for excellence in communicating development-related issues as diverse as agriculture, governance and climate change. Laura leads the training team at Scriptoria, delivering training and providing strategic direction for the company. She also works as a senior communications and knowledge management consultant on a variety of international donor-funded consultancy projects worldwide – work which includes the design and delivery of data management strategies and technical solutions to FCDO and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded programmes. Laura leads the training and capacity building team at Scriptoria and provides strategic direction for the company.



Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Knowledge and Data Management Consultant, Tropical Legumes and AVISA projects

  • Nov 2019 - Present

  Tropical Legumes (2007−2018) and AVISA (2019−2024) are consecutive Gates-funded programmes focused on improved crop variety breeding for key food crops so that they can withstand climate challenges such as drought and hotter temperatures. Laura leads a team within Scriptoria as Project Manager to deliver technical knowledge management solutions for both new and legacy data. This work has ranged from a legume hub website with a resource centre and data dashboards to data management cubes and programme management centres.

• Communications Trainer and Consultant, AgShare.Today

  • Feb 2019 - Feb 2020

  Scriptoria’s $3 million AgShare.Today programme worked with agricultural scientists globally to support the increased yield of crops that are key to food security in Africa. Laura used her scientific expertise to facilitate collaboration between these scientists, who are from different locations and specialist subject areas. She also delivered group and one-to-one training and technical support to scientists and non-specialists, both remotely and in-country (Côte d’Ivoire). Laura supported researchers across the network in both French and English.



DAI

• Denmark
• Construction
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Knowledge Management and Communications Consultant, Land Investment for Transformation (LIFT)

  • Feb 2019 - Dec 2020

  LIFT is a £62 million DFID-funded programme that supports the government of Ethiopia’s efforts for rural land certification and improved rural land administration systems to drive investment and increase productive land use. Laura has supported LIFT to develop and implement a communications plan to promote LIFT with stakeholders including the regional and federal government and to design a SharePoint management information system.

• Knowledge Management Consultant, Policy Development Facility (PDF II)

  • Feb 2019 - Feb 2020

  PDF II is a DFID-funded programme set up to support ‘champions of change’ to implement economic and social policies that lead to poverty reduction in Nigeria. Laura worked with PDF II to draw out lessons learned from internal programme staff and programme beneficiaries to document this knowledge and ensure its legacy.



Nathan Associates

• United States
• Real Estate
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Knowledge and Data Management Consultant, Market Development (MADE) Programme for Northern Ghana

  • Feb 2019 - Oct 2020

  MADE is a £12 million DFID-funded programme that supports agribusinesses to better operate and engage with smallholder farmers. Laura led a team of Scriptoria staff and associates to deliver comprehensive support in communications, monitoring and evaluation (MEL) and knowledge management in the final years of the six-year programme. Laura also facilitated critical remote and in-country team meetings to ensure MADE delivered final logframe results and evidenced programme impact for the funder at programme closure.



Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology

• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Postdoctoral Researcher

  • Mar 2015 - Jan 2019

  Neurobiology and systems neuroscience research in zebrafish aimed at studying the integration of sensory and motor information in the brain. This research focused on in vivo physiological and behavioral studies using two-photon microscopy, electrophysiology, virtual-reality, confocal microscopy, and computational approaches. Neurobiology and systems neuroscience research in zebrafish aimed at studying the integration of sensory and motor information in the brain. This research focused on in vivo physiological and behavioral studies using two-photon microscopy, electrophysiology, virtual-reality, confocal microscopy, and computational approaches.