Leigh is the Assistant Director, New Ventures for the McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO).  Over her career at MILO, Leigh has driven the commercialization of McMaster life sciences technologies, including negotiating license agreements, securing commercialization funding and supporting emerging McMaster startups.  Leigh’s role as Assistant Director has turned her focus onto start-up support, including management of the McMaster Seed Fund (MSF). The MSF is a start-up/early-stage, seed investment fund initiated to foster research-intensive and innovative start-up companies that will have a significant economic and societal impact in the Greater Hamilton Area (GHA). The MSF has deployed over 3M in investment funds to McMaster based companies over the past 3 years.

Leigh is currently appointed as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at McMaster University and teaches a commercialization and entrepreneurship course to Biochemistry graduate students.

Leigh holds a PhD in medical sciences from McMaster University.