Jessica Rush Leeker

Dr. Jessica Rush Leeker is a professor of practice in the Systems Engineering Program and the Office of Inclusive Excellence at Cornell Duffield Engineering. She is a systems engineer, educator, and researcher whose work focuses on the design and transformation of human-centered educational and organizational systems. Her scholarship sits at the intersection of systems engineering, engineering education, and social impact. She studies how complex educational ecosystems, including families, communities, universities, and organizations, can be intentionally designed to expand access to engineering learning, strengthen pathways into and through STEM, and create environments in which people and communities can thrive.

Before entering academia, Dr. Rush Leeker built her career in industry, working in engineering, manufacturing, operations, and consumer products. Her industry experience informs her approach to systems engineering and her commitment to preparing engineers to navigate complex, interdisciplinary, real-world problems. She brings together perspectives from engineering practice, systems thinking, human-centered design, and education to address challenges that cannot be solved through technical approaches alone. Her research spans undergraduate engineering education, family and informal engineering learning, community-engaged engineering, engineering identity and pathways, and engineering workforce development. She leads and collaborates on multi-million-dollar federally funded research, including Building a Legacy in Engineering and Engineering@Home, that examines how engineering learning and participation are shaped by the interconnected systems surrounding individuals and communities.

Across her teaching, research, and service, Dr. Rush Leeker’s work is guided by a central question: How can we intentionally design systems that enable people, organizations, and communities to learn, innovate, and thrive?