Rebecca Leshan

I earned my Ph.D. in molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Michigan, and continued my training as a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University. After taking a particularly inspiring course on science diplomacy, I left the lab bench to take on science policy as a member of the UK Government’s Science and Innovation Network. Based at the British Consulate-General in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I worked to strengthen UK-US collaborations in science and engineering, as well as advising policymakers on science and technology issues. Despite my life science background, the bulk of my work centered on cyber security and national security/defense innovation.

In 2016, I joined Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where I am executive director of the Banbury Center, the Lab’s bioscience think tank. The Center is recognized internationally for its closed discussion workshops in areas ranging from discovery and translational science to education and policy issues. I oversee all aspects of the Center’s programs, from selecting the topics for meetings and working with experts to organize, to overseeing implementation and tracking outcomes.

In addition to my work at Banbury, I am a co-instructor for the Scientific Exposition and Ethics course, a Writing Resource Center editor, and I take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work through CSHL’s DEI steering committee, and as a representative to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education.