Rate My Professor Lauren Dalton

Lauren E. Dalton serves as Senior Instructor I and academic advisor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics at Oregon State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, in 2017, where her doctoral research employed yeast genetics to investigate the molecular mechanisms of vesicle trafficking within the endomembrane system. Dalton previously obtained her B.Sc. in Biology from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, in 2011. Her academic interests encompass cell biology, particularly membrane transport processes, and biochemistry education. During her graduate studies, she developed a passion for teaching as a teaching assistant in cell biology, which shaped her commitment to evidence-based pedagogy and inclusive classroom practices.

In her role at Oregon State University, Dalton instructs Cell and Molecular Biology (BB 314) and Scientific Theory and Practice (BB 317), focusing on experiential learning to prepare students for diverse careers in the life sciences and lifelong STEM engagement. Her scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed publications such as 'Quantitative high-content imaging identifies novel regulators of Neo1 trafficking at endosomes' published in Molecular Biology of the Cell (2017) and 'The chaperone Chs7 forms a stable complex with Chs3 and promotes its activity at the cell surface' in Traffic (2018). She also authored a chapter titled 'Large-Scale Analysis of Membrane Transport in Yeast Using Invertase Reporters' in Methods in Molecular Biology, Volume 1279 (2015). Dalton has significantly impacted education through open educational resources, co-authoring the open-access textbook Fundamentals of Cell Biology with Robin Young of the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Featuring custom illustrations and embedded animations, the textbook is utilized at 16 U.S. institutions and saves Oregon State students an estimated $50,000 annually. This achievement earned her the 2025 OER Champion Award in the Outstanding Publications category from Oregon State Ecampus. Additional honors include serving as an Ecampus Research Fellow in 2019-2020, receiving an Open Educational Resource Grant for her textbook project, and recognition as a Biophysics and Biochemistry Whiteley Faculty Scholar. She has presented on STEM writing instruction and participated as a panelist in the Women in Computing 25th Anniversary Celebration in 2019.