Michelle Leishman

Michelle Leishman is a Professor and Director of the Smart Green Cities Research Centre and Australian Harmony Centre for Ecosystem Futures at Macquarie University's School of Natural Sciences. Her work bridges urban ecology, plant conservation, and climate change adaptation through projects like Which Plant Where (with Hort Innovation), urban greening initiatives (with Sydney Water), and ecosystem restoration (with Botanic Gardens of Sydney).

Her research focuses on urban greenspace and plant-environment interactions, particularly invasive species impacts, vegetation responses to climate change, and ecosystem restoration. She has published extensively on topics like urban tree resilience, riparian vegetation recovery, and plant-pathogen dynamics. Her recent work includes biostimulant applications for drought tolerance and myrtle rust susceptibility in Australian flora.

Michelle is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of NSW and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. She received the 2022 NSW Premier's Prize for Biological Sciences and the 2017 BHERT Award for Outstanding Collaboration, reflecting her leadership in applied ecological research.