Dr Leonora Risse is an economist with interest and expertise in gender equality, labour economics, economic psychology, demographic and population economics, education, disadvantage and wellbeing.

Her research focuses on understanding gender differences in economic opportunities and outcomes. This includes understanding the gender pay gap, women’s participation in the workforce, women’s under-representation in leadership, and the role of attitudes, personality traits and societal norms.

Leonora earned her PhD in Economics from the University of Queensland, and gained public policy experience working as a Senior Research Economist for the Australian Government Productivity Commission.

Leonora is a Research Fellow with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia (WLIA) and spent time in residence at Harvard University as a Research Fellow with the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is currently appointed as a Lecturer in Economics at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

Leonora has been actively involved in establishing the Women in Economics Network (WEN) in Australia, and engages regularly with public audiences, government, industry and community groups on gender equality issues, including identifying evidence-based strategies and applying a gender lens to economic analysis and policy design.

Leonora was named among Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy in 2021.