Heather O'Leary

Dr. Heather O'Leary is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of South Florida's College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on sustainable urban development, transnational disparities in women's rights, water politics, and environmental justice. She holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, with postdoctoral work at McMaster University. O'Leary is affiliated with interdisciplinary programs in Sociology, Women's Studies, and the USF Water Institute.

Her work bridges anthropology and environmental policy, with a focus on India's urban water crises and inclusive governance. Awards include the Fulbright and Wenner-Gren Fellowships, and she has led grants totaling over $300,000. O'Leary directs the CRESCENDO Project, fostering interdisciplinary research on environmental justice. She teaches courses on ecofeminism, political ecology, and global water security.

Key publications include Conduits of Purity (under contract) and articles on water governance and feminist ethnography. She actively serves on the executive committees of the International Union for Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences and the World Anthropological Union.