Steering Committee Member

Professor of Psychology
Director of the USC Twins Study

Laura A. Baker, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California. Dr. Baker is the Director of the Southern California Twin Project at USC, where she oversees a longitudinal study of over 750 sets of twins and their families in an NIMH-funded study of the gene-environment interplay in externalizing behavior problems from childhood to young adulthood.  She teaches courses in Behavioral Genetics, Human Sexuality and the Science of Yoga and Meditation in Psychology and General Education at USC.

Dr. Baker is also a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT), and teaches yoga and meditation classes to faculty, staff and students through the USC Office of Religious Life (ORL) and www.Yoga.USC.edu .  Iyengar Yoga is well known for its emphasis on precise instructions, sequencing, and the use of props to support the practice of yoga for every body.  It has also been used in numerous research studies to demonstrate the effects of yoga on both physical and mental health, including anxiety and depression.

As a member of the steering committees for the USC Center for Mindfulness Science and Mindful-USC, Dr. Baker helps promote an integrative approach to health, wellness and resilience in our community.