Leigh Gardner

Professor Leigh Gardner is a leading scholar in African economic history, holding the rank of Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research focuses on African economic and financial history, particularly Liberia's economic sovereignty and colonial legacies. She has authored influential books such as Sovereignty without Power: Liberia in the Age of Empires (2022) and co-edited works on colonialism's economic impacts. Gardner's affiliations include Research Associate roles at the Smithsonian and Stellenbosch University. Her expertise spans monetary policy, public finance, and colonial institutions, with grants totaling over £700,000. She teaches courses like Africa and the World Economy and supervises multiple PhD students. Awards include the LSE Excellence in Education Prize (2022) and the Thirsk-Feinstein Dissertation Prize (2011). Her work bridges academia and public engagement, including digital exhibits on African monetary history.

Education: DPhil in History (University of Oxford, 2010), MPhil in Economic and Social History (Oxford, 2006), BA summa cum laude in Research Methods and Public Policy (NYU, 2004).

Research Interests: Colonial fiscal systems, African monetary history, post-colonial development, and the global economic integration of African nations. Her recent projects analyze Liberia's economic sovereignty, debt dynamics in West Africa, and the material history of currency.

Grants & Impact: Secured major grants including £670,000 from the ESRC for spatial inequalities research (2018). Collaborates with institutions like the Smithsonian to create educational resources on African economic history.