Leslie A. DeChurch

Leslie A. DeChurch is a Professor and Department Chair at Northwestern University's School of Communication. She holds courtesy appointments in Management & Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management and Psychology at Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on organizational leadership, teamwork, multiteam systems, and human-AI collaboration, with applications in space exploration, Renaissance leadership, and virtual teams.

• PhD in Organizational Psychology, Florida International University
• MS in Organizational Psychology, Florida International University
• BS in Communication, University of Miami

DeChurch established the ATLAS lab (Advancing Teams, Leaders, and Systems) to study leadership and teamwork through experiments, meta-analyses, and field studies. Her work spans space missions (NASA), virtual organizational effectiveness (NSF CAREER award), and historical leadership in Renaissance Florence.

Recent publications highlight team diversity, communication networks in extreme environments, and human-AI collaboration. Awards include Fellowships from APA, APS, and SIOP. She served as President of INGRoup and co-edited *Multiteam Systems: An Organization Form for Dynamic and Complex Environments*.

• 2024/2023 Sage Publishing Awards for leadership research
• NSF CAREER Grant (2011-2017)
• Editorial leadership and National Research Council committee roles

Her courses include organizational leadership, team decision-making, and managing AI. She directs the immersive Leading a Renaissance program in Florence, Italy.