St. Norbert College Professor Recipient of Natural Sciences Award

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From St. Norbert College, May 30, 2024
by Mike Counter, mike.counter@snc.edu, 920-403-3048

Jacob Laubacher, associate professor of mathematics at St. Norbert College, was recently named this year’s Early Career Award winner in natural sciences. Early career is currently defined as a faculty member in their first 10 years. The award is linked to a new endowment at St. Norbert, funded by a pair of former St. Norbert chemistry majors. Its long-term goal is to fund undergraduate research and student travel related to undergraduate research. Until it is fully funded, the earnings are used for a stipend for a faculty member.

The award selection committee highlighted Laubacher’s exceptional contributions to both research and student mentorship as the core reasons for their decision. They note that, beyond his excellent teaching, Laubacher has prioritized involving students in research experiences outside the classroom, resulting in numerous publications, poster presentations, and invited talks at other institutions.

“In the past 12 months alone, Dr. Laubacher has co-authored three papers with five undergraduate students, with one published and two currently under review. This is exceptional performance in a discipline that rarely produces publishable undergraduate scholarship,” said Jamie Lynch, dean of natural and social sciences at St. Norbert.

Laubacher 's research interest lies in algebra, and his favorite courses to teach involve theory and proof. He juggles two ongoing projects, the first focusing on the realm of homological algebra in which he studies generalizations and properties of Hochschild (co)homology. The other project exists in the world of group theory in which he investigates whether certain graphs can occur as the prime character degree graph of a solvable group.


About St. Norbert College

St. Norbert College celebrated its 125th anniversary during the 2023-24 academic year. SNC is known for its academic excellence, focus on international awareness, and leadership and service opportunities.

Founded in 1898, St. Norbert College provides an education that is academically, personally and spiritually challenging. U.S. News & World Report’s guide to “America’s Best Colleges” ranks St. Norbert College among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. The Princeton Review lists St. Norbert as one of the Best Midwestern Colleges, and the college has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction.