Melissa Leach

Melissa Leach is a distinguished academic with leadership roles including Executive Director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (2024–present) and former Director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK (2014–2024). She holds a Professorial Fellowship at IDS and founded the Knowledge, Technology and Society (KNOTS) team. Her expertise spans social anthropology, environmental sustainability, global health, and interdisciplinary research in West Africa. Leach has led initiatives such as the STEPS Centre and the Ebola Response Anthropology Platform. She has received prestigious awards including a CBE and Fellowship of the British Academy.

Her research focuses on the intersections between environment, health, and development, particularly in African contexts. Key contributions include analyzing disease-ecosystem-livelihood dynamics and promoting community engagement in public health crises. She has secured major grants, including a £10m ESRC award for the STEPS Centre.

Leach’s work emphasizes equity in sustainability transitions and challenges conventional narratives on environmental management. She collaborates across disciplines to address complex global challenges, such as climate change and zoonotic diseases.