Rosaria Haugland was born in Italy, one of six children.  Her father died when she was young, leaving her mother and older siblings to become resourceful and supportive of one another. 

Latin, literature and exposure to opera were early inspirations for Rosaria in what would be a lifetime of learning.  Rosaria was the first in her family to graduate from college, and then went on to earn advanced degrees in microbiology and biochemistry. 

Merging marriage and science, Rosaria and Dick Haugland formed Molecular Probes where their pioneering work lead to the development of florescent probes which are used in biological research.   

Since retiring from her work in science, Rosaria has been involved in volunteer leadership in many community organizations and currently serves on the Advisory Board of Womenspace, the Board of Trustees for Lane Community College and the Governing Board of PeaceHealth.