She received a Ph.D. in meteorology from Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests are in mesoscale convective systems, wildfire forecasting, satellite estimates of hurricane rainfall, and flash flood mitigation. Dr. Laing has a rich history working with operational and research-quality data, and limitations of each. She has been a visiting scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and is currently a visiting scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division. She received the Max Eaton Award from the American Meteorological Society for her paper on the global population of mesoscale convective complexes, and currently serves on its Committee on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography.