Leanne Lester

Leanne Lester is a Principal Research Fellow at the UWA Business School's Marketing department at The University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on physical activity, public health policy, social impact financing, and disability-inclusive enterprises. She has contributed over 133 peer-reviewed publications and led 71 grants including evaluations of homelessness services, social impact bonds, and mental health programs. Key collaborations include work with organizations like the Youth Affairs Council WA and Philanthropy Australia.

• Research Interests: Social enterprise impact, healthcare delivery models, exercise physiology, and policy-driven social interventions
• Recent Projects: Evaluating the Aspire Social Impact Bond, youth homelessness advisory councils, and disability advocacy networks

Her work spans interdisciplinary areas such as randomized controlled trials in exercise science and mixed-methods social policy analysis, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health, education, and social equity.