 Laughton was formerly Pro-Principal of Queen Mary and Westfield College and Dean of Engineering of the University of London.Together with D. F. Warne, Laughton coedited a book, "Electrical Engineer's Reference Book", by M. G. Say that is presently in its 16th edition.As a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Laughton is currently the UK representative on the Energy Committee of the European Council of Applied Sciences and Engineering (EuroCASE), a member of the energy and environment policy advisory groups of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society and the Institution of Electrical Engineers, as well as the Power Industry Division Board of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.