Leslie’s research focuses on (a) legitimacy within academia; (b) relations of power that govern the recognition of knowledge and knowers and (c) the possibility of agency among academics. Leslie is committed to exposing and challenging both material and symbolic injustices within academia, particularly in the careers of historically underrepresented scholars and amongst scholars whose research agendas fall outside conventional norms. As a Latina, working class, first- generation-college-student-turned academic who earned all three of her academic degrees from Hispanic Serving Institutions, Leslie aims to inform various processes that shape the academic profession, including graduate student preparation, faculty hiring and onboarding, and faculty evaluation.