The Confused Matrix: A Lived Experience
Don't be an AI lemming. Use it to automate the boring.Data scientist. Researcher. Yogi. Occasional pickle magnate. I spent two decades studying how complex systems behave: energy markets, AI models, and the organizations that try to manage both. I've published empirical research on AI deployment in critical infrastructure, presented at FERC, CIGRE, and IEEE PES, and built the analytical frameworks used to decide where AI belongs and where it doesn't. The vegetables came later. The pattern recognition was already there.Right now, a lot of people are moving fast with AI and assuming it's working. Some of them are right. Some of them won't know they're wrong until the margin for error closes. I help you tell the difference.The problem isn't AI. It's letting AI think for you.
Research & Policy WorkMy published work focuses on how and why Machine Learning projects fail. How people are misunderstanding LLMs and how best to use them. AI deployment in regulated, mission-critical systems where the gap between model performance and real-world adoption is widest.I'm interested in the gap between what people think AI is and what it can do and what it really is and abilities. I'm fascinated by structural reasons why AI diffuses slowly through regulated industries, what that tells us about governance and risk tolerance, and what policy levers might actually change it. Current focus: AI's economic and societal impacts in critical infrastructure systems.I'm also wildly interested in the ethical ramifications of AI, from resource use, to outsourcing thinking. AI is a tool, and much like a hammer it can be used to build things, or bash people over the head.
Published Work
"Insights from PJM Interconnection's Exploration of Artificial Intelligence" — CIGRE Grid of the Future Symposium, 2024
"Predicting the Energization of New Transmission Equipment in PJM Using Natural Language Processing" — IEEE PES General Meeting, 2025
"Limited energy capability resource duration requirement for participation in PJM capacity market" -- 2019 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT)
Previous Talks: PJM Annual Meeting • Princeton Bar Association • Energy Storage Summit • EPRI • ESIG • Women's International Network of Utility Professionals
Bring Laura to Your Conference, Firm, or Leadership Event
Available for:
Keynotes
CLE / Professional Education
Executive Workshops
Moderated Panels
Industry ConferencesAudiences leave with:
a grounded understanding of AI without hype, practical tools for spotting risk and bad automation decisions, memorable systems analogies they actually remember
SPEAKING*Upcoming
Ahimsa AI - Yoga Business IncubatorRecent Past
AI and the Modern Lawyer - Princeton Bar Association
2025 EPRI MODTF Advisory Panel
2025 ESIG Fall Technical Workshop
2025 EnCon Forum
2025 PJM Annual Members Meeting
CIGRE US National Committee 2024TOPICS
Don't Be an AI Lemming
What AI actually is, why people use it wrong, and how to tell the difference between a tool and a crutch. For anyone who uses AI but isn't sure if it's using them back.The Difference Between What AI Is and What It Says It Is
AI marketing vs. AI reality. How to cut through the hype and actually understand what you're buying, building, or betting on.Energy Markets, Grid Operations & the Data Center Buildout
The electricity industry is in a revolution right now and AI is both driving it and being deployed to manage it. I bring 21 years of hands-on experience in capacity and energy markets, grid operations, and data analytics to audiences who need to understand what's actually happening at the intersection of AI and energy infrastructure. Topics include capacity markets, interconnection strategy, data center load growth, and the real constraints on the grid. Available for industry conferences, policy forums, executive briefings, and regulatory proceedings.Complex Systems and Why They Break
Energy markets. AI models. Pickle fermentation. Human judgment. They all follow the same logic, and most people miss the warning signs. For STEM audiences, business leaders, and anyone who manages anything complicated.Ahimsa AI: Do no harm extends to your tools.
Yoga asks us to examine the impact of our actions on ourselves, others, and the systems we're part of. AI is now one of those systems. This talk cuts through the hype to explore what ethical AI use actually looks like : what you're consenting to, what you might be outsourcing without realizing it, and where the line is between useful automation and losing the presence your practice is built on. You'll leave with a clear personal framework for using AI intentionally, not reflexively.Inclusion and Belonging
I care about systems that either welcome people or erase them. How organizations, institutions, and communities can be designed to actually include people instead of just saying they do.
WRITING
I write about AI, accidental wisdom, complex systems, and why institutions sleepwalk through their own decisions. Subscribe to The Confused Matrix for essays on finding patterns in everything.Recent pieces:The Portal
AI is the Doorman and I'm Stealing These Oranges
AI is Squirrels in the Freezer
Mansplaining AI to a Data Scientist
On Cement Geese, Dinosaurs and Suburban Governance