An instructor with the Minnesota State system since 2001, Laurel Panser has taught at Riverland Community College since 2007. Additionally, she concurrently teaches courses at Inver Hills Community College and Minnesota Community and Technical College, both institutions of the Minnesota State system. Credentialed to teach geography, philosophy, psychology, and health, Laurel Panser teaches interdisciplinary courses as well.

Laurel Panser comes to her teaching work as the co-author of several peer-reviewed articles, which have appeared in such publications as the International Journal of Epidemiology and the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. She formerly served as an epidemiologist with the Mayo Clinic and received two Inside Cancer Regional Fellowships at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Dolan DNA Learning Center; these fellowships allowed her to present findings about cervical cancer and human papilloma virus at multiple colleges.

Laurel Panser holds a master of science in epidemiology from the University of Washington, as well as a master of arts in geography and a bachelor of arts in philosophy from the University of Minnesota. She is active in higher education not only as an instructor, but as a committee cochair and a faculty liaison to Riverland Community College student senates.