Heather Leslie

Social Media:
Website:  https://www.umaine.edu/leslie-lab/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leslie-9b03301/

Media Expertise:

  • Marine fisheries and aquaculture
  • Ecosystem-based management
  • Climate
  • Community resilience
  • Marine economy and workforce

Research Interests:

  • Ecology & conservation science
  • Social-ecological systems
  • Translating knowledge to action

Research Projects:

Resources:

Education:

  • Ph.D., 2004, Oregon State University
  • AB, 1996, Biology, Harvard University

Profile:

An international leader in marine conservation science, Heather Leslie conducts research on the ecology, policy, and management of coastal marine ecosystems. Heather is a professor of Marine Sciences in UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences.

She studies the drivers of ecological and social processes in marine systems, and how to more effectively connect science to policy and management. Specific research areas include coastal marine ecology; human-environment linkages, particularly those related to coastal areas; and the design and evaluation of marine management strategies. Leslie’s work has appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ecology, Conservation Biology, and Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

A member of the University of Maine faculty since August 2015, Heather Leslie received an A.B. in Biology from Harvard University, a Ph.D. in Zoology from Oregon State University, and conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University. From August 2015 through May 2023, she served as Director of the University of Maine’s marine laboratory, Darling Marine Center. Before arriving at UMaine, she was on the faculty at Brown University, as the inaugural Peggy and Henry D. Sharpe Assistant Professor. She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a Leopold Leadership Fellow, and Storymaker Fellow. Heather lives by the Damariscotta River in Newcastle, Maine, with her two children and husband, microbial ecologist Jeremy Rich.

Selected Publications:
More publications can be found at https://umaine.edu/leslie-lab/publications/

Risley, S., M. L. Britsch, J. S. Stoll, H. M. Leslie. 2025. Mapping local knowledge supports science and stewardship.  Ambio https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02170-4.

Haugen, J.B., Link, J.S., and 28 more, including, H. M. Leslie. 2024. Marine ecosystem-based management: challenges remain, yet solutions exist, and progress is occurring. npj Ocean Sustain 3 (7): https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-024-00041-1.

Risley, S. C., K. E. Pellowe, M. L. Britsch, M. M. White, H. M. Leslie. 2023. Community science in support of ecosystem-based management: A case study from the Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, USA. Maine Policy Review 32.2: 221-230, https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/vol32/iss2/41.

McGreavy, B., K. Haynal, J. Smith-Mayo,  J. Reilly-Moman, M. T. Kinnison, D. Ranco, H. M. Leslie. 2022.  How does strategic communication shape  transdisciplinary collaboration? A focus on definitions, audience, expertise, and ethical praxis. Frontiers in Communication. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.831727

Cucuzza, M., Stoll, J. S., & Leslie, H. M. (2020). Comprehensive plans as tools for enhancing coastal community resilience. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 63(11), 2022-2041.