Lissa Leege

Lissa Leege is a Professor of Biology at Georgia Southern University, where she has served since 1998. She is additionally affiliated with the James H. Oliver, Jr. Institute for Coastal Plain Science and the Coastal Resilience initiative. Her research supports UN Sustainable Development Goals, and she is recognized for her work in plant conservation ecology, coastal dune restoration, and sustainability education.

Education: While specific degrees are not detailed in the provided text, Prof. Leege’s long-standing faculty appointment since 1998 indicates advanced training in biology and ecology.

Research Interests:

• Plant conservation ecology and rare-species demography
• Coastal dune restoration and sand-movement dynamics
• Impacts of invasive species (e.g., Pinus nigra, Ligustrum sinense) on native plant communities
• Sustainability pedagogy and non-formal environmental education

Across 21 research outputs and numerous peer-reviewed articles from 1997 to 2025, Prof. Leege’s work integrates field experiments, demographic monitoring, and educational innovation. Her studies on Trillium species, dune vegetation, and laurel wilt disease illustrate a commitment to both basic ecological understanding and applied conservation outcomes.

Scientific Recognition: Although the text does not list named awards, her sustained publication record and invitations to contribute to volumes such as the World Sustainability Series indicate peer recognition.

Teaching & Mentoring: Prof. Leege incorporates service-learning and undergraduate research projects into her courses, leveraging platforms like Digital Commons to disseminate student-collected datasets. Her collaborative publications with student co-authors highlight an active mentoring role.

Labs & Teams: She works closely with the Coastal Resilience group and the Institute for Coastal Plain Science, facilitating interdisciplinary projects that span ecology, geomorphology, and sustainability science.