Matthew S. Leslie, PhD

 

A humpback whale calf swims above its mother in the gulf of Chiriqui, Panama. The mother whale (right) was fitted with a suction-cup ‘CATs’ tag which includes a video camera.

I am an Assistant Professor of Biology at Ursinus College where I teach a broad range of courses and mentor students conducting local and international research. I am also a board member and researcher with Panacetacea

I also serve on the NOAA-NMFS Pacific Ocean Science Review Group, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission’s Science Advisory Board for Dolphin Conservation, and I am a founding steering committee member for a newly established Rice’s Whale Research Collective.

Recent Past: With the support of AAAS, I recently served the US Geological Survey's National Climate Adaptation Science Center as a Climate and Biodiversity Policy Fellow. In this role, I helped shape international conservation agreements and develop a national approach to biodiversity assessment.

Learn more about my teaching here and see my research publications here. For my full CV click here. Thanks for visiting!

 
Full C.V.
 

Current Student researchers

 
 

Nick Washington ‘27 - Gulf of Chirique, Panama

 
 

Makayla Baessler ‘25 - Gulf of Chirique, Panama

 

Lab Alumni

Hannah Blanco - ‘24

Top: Julie Xu ‘22, Shirley Liu ‘22

Bottom: Louis Kant ‘22

Sophie heading out to deploy camera traps in the Crum Woods.

Sophie heading out to deploy camera traps in the Crum Woods.

Sophie Nasrallah ‘20



Jenna Bowman ‘21

Colin about to begin whale research in the Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama.

Colin about to begin whale research in the Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama.

Colin Perkins-Taylor ‘20

Jihye Yoon ‘21