Laurie McNeil is an American physicist and academic who serves as the Bernard Gray Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). Her professional contributions span condensed matter physics, materials science, and physics education reform.
McNeil completed her undergraduate studies at Radcliffe College of Harvard University, earning an A.B. in Chemistry and Physics. She subsequently attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she earned her Ph.D. in Physics. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she joined the faculty of UNC-CH in 1984. She has held several administrative roles at the university, including serving as the Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 2004 to 2009 and as the Director of the Working Group on Women in Science in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Her primary research interests involve the optical properties of materials. Utilizing techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence, she investigates the structural and electronic characteristics of various substances, including semiconductors, insulators, and organic molecular crystals. Her work in materials physics aims to understand how the microscopic arrangements of atoms and molecules influence the macroscopic behavior of materials used in electronic and optoelectronic devices.
In addition to her laboratory research, McNeil is a prominent figure in physics education. She was a co-chair of the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (JTUPP), an initiative sponsored by the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) to improve the preparation of physics majors for diverse careers. She is also recognized for her advocacy regarding gender equity in the sciences and has led institutional efforts to support the advancement of women in STEM fields.
McNeil is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Her honors include the UNC-CH Distinguished Teaching Award and the Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez Award for Leadership and Service.
