​Dr. Leslie Lamberson is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and a Ben L. Fryrear Endowed Chair for Innovation and Excellence. She holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Dance, and Business, including a Ph.D. from Caltech and an M.B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill. Her career spans industry, government, and academia, with past roles at Lockheed Martin “Skunk Works,” NASA Glenn, and Johns Hopkins University.

A recipient of the ONR Young Investigator and NSF CAREER Awards, Leslie’s research focuses on materials under extreme conditions, and advanced metrology and inverse techniques. She serves as Associate Editor for Strain and previously held board positions with the American Society for Composites (ASC) and the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM). Her work bridges aerospace, defense, and materials science to advance engineering innovation and education.