Laurell’s research spans studies of optical materials, nonlinear optics, guided wave optics and laser physics and he tries to bridge the gap between fundamental science and real-world applications. He holds 17 patents and he has authored or co-authored close to 800 publications, of which close to 390 are international peer-reviewed scientific journal papers and his H-index is 43 with more than 5900 citations (Web of Science). He has also founded 5 companies and received the Göran Gustafsson prize in physics (2003).