Institute of Development Studies

Biography

Professorial Fellow at IDS Melissa Leach has since 2006 directed the ESRC STEPS (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) Centre. She originally trained as a geographer (MA Cambridge) and social anthropologist (PhD London). Over the last twenty years she has been closely involved both in ethnographic fieldwork, speaking four African languages, and in extensive interdisciplinary research. This has engaged anthropology with historical, ecological and science and technology studies approaches, as well as working with foresters, agricultural and medical scientists.

She has led and managed many large, interdisciplinary research programmes involving multi-country teams. Her work has forwarded new perspectives in several fields, including the anthropology of environment and development; gender-environment relations; the environmental entitlements approach to institutions and natural resource management, environmental and forest history and challenging 'received wisdoms' about environmental change.

Melissa's recent work has explored the politics of science and knowledge in policy processes linked to environment and health; addressing vaccine controversies, scientific uncertainties, citizenship and public engagement; cultural and political dimensions of vaccine delivery; medical research trials, emerging infectious diseases, and ecology-health linkages.

Selected Projects and Recent Work

• Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre
• Childhood Vaccination in West Africa
• Childhood Vaccination: Science and Public Engagement

Thematic Expertise

Agriculture; Climate Change; Environment; Gender; Governance; Health; Livelihoods; Politics and Power; Science and Society; Anthropology; Citizenship.

Geographic Expertise

Latin America and the Caribbean; Sub Saharan Africa; United Kingdom.

Selected Publications »»

• Dry, S. and Leach, M. (2010) Epidemics: Science, Governance and Social Justice, London: Earthscan
• Leach M, Scoones, I and Stirling, A (2010) Dynamic Sustainabilities: Technology, Environment, Social Justice, London: Earthscan
• Cassidy, R. and Leach, M. (2009) 'AIDS, Citizenship and Global Funding: A Gambian Case Study', IDS Working Paper 325, Brighton: IDS
• Cassidy, R. and Leach, M. (2009) 'AIDS, Citizenship and Global Funding: A Gambian Case Study', IDS Research Summary RS325, Brighton: IDS
• Leach, M. (2009) 'Making Vaccine Technologies Work for the Poor ', IDS Policy Briefing 31, Brighton: IDS
• Brooks, S., Leach M., Lucas, H. and Millstone, E. (2009) 'Silver Bullets, Grand Challenges and the New Philanthropy', STEPS Working Paper 24, Brighton: STEPS Centre
• Waldman, L., Sumner, A. and Leach, M. (2008) 'Technology, Rural Dynamics and Pro-Poor Development', European Journal of Development Research 20.3:371-376
• Leach, M., Sumner, A. and Waldman, L. (2008) 'Discourses, Dynamics and Disquiet: Multiple Knowledges in Science, Society and Development', Journal of International Development 20.6:727-738
• Bloom, G, Hyder, A, Leach, M, Syed, S, Peters, D and Future Health Systems: Innovations for Equity (2007) 'Exploring health systems research and its influence on policy processes in low income countries', BMC Public Health 7.309
• Leach, M. and Scoones, I. (2007) 'Mobilising Citizens: Social Movements and the Politics of Knowledge', IDS Working Paper 276, Brighton: IDS
• Leach, M., Scoones, I. and Stirling, A. (2007) 'Pathways to Sustainability: An Overview of the STEPS Centre Approach' , STEPS Centre
• Stirling, A., Leach, M., Mehta, L., Scoones, I., Smith, A., Stagl, S. and Thompson, J. (2007) 'Empowering Designs: Steps Towards More Progressive Social Appraisal of Sustainability', STEPS Working paper 3, Brighton: STEPS Centre
• Bloom, G., Edstrom, J., Leach, M., Lucas, H., MacGregor, H., Standing, H. and Waldman, L. (2007) 'Health in a Dynamic World', STEPS Working Paper 5, Brighton: STEPS Centre
• Scoones, I., Leach, M., Smith, A., Stagl, S., Stirling, A. and Thompson, J. (2007) 'Dynamic Systems and the Challenge of Sustainability', STEPS Working Paper 1, Brighton: STEPS Centre
• Leach, M., Bloom, G., Ely, A., Nightingale, P., Scoones, I., Shah, E. and Smith, A. (2007) 'Understanding Governance: Pathways to Sustainability' , STEPS Centre