Laurie Leshin

Dr. Laurie Leshin became the 16th president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in June of 2014. As president, she is committed to elevating WPI’s impact in communities worldwide. Leshin has over 20 years of experience as a leader in academia and government service, and an accomplished record as a space scientist. Prior to joining WPI, Dr. Leshin served as the dean of the School of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. While at Rensselaer, she continued her work as a scientist for the Mars Curiosity Rover mission and was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Advisory Board for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Previously, Dr. Leshin served as the deputy director of NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, where she was responsible for oversight of NASA’s future human spaceflight programs and activities.

Leshin was also a professor of Geological Sciences at Arizona State University, where she led the development of the first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary School of Earth and Space Exploration and served as director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University.