Frances Leslie to receive 2018 legacy award from Orange County Connected Women of Influence

Frances Leslie, vice provost and dean for graduate studies at UCI, has been selected to receive the prestigious 2018 Lifetime Legacy Award from Orange County Connected Women of Influence. The award recognizes women who have demonstrated superior leadership over several years and who have a significant track record of long-term achievements in their field. Leslie is also a professor of pharmacology and anatomy & neurobiology, and her career has included scientific breakthroughs, training and mentoring of students and postdoctoral scholars, and visionary leadership of programs to diversify graduate education. Her multidisciplinary research has resulted in advances in developmental neuroscience and pharmacology of brain receptors crucial to attention and addiction. In her role as dean, Leslie has led the Graduate Division to recruit and retain high-quality Ph.D. and master’s students from underrepresented groups, including women, minorities and first-generation college students. As a member of the Graduate Record Examinations board’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, she impacts the success of diverse students around the world by advocating for equity in test design and score interpretation. Leslie has mentored dozens of women who have gone on to careers in government, business and academia. “I am truly touched by this honor and feel so fortunate to be doing what I’m passionate about, especially here at UCI,” she said.