Leigha McReynolds holds a PhD in English from The George Washington University and is currently a Lecturer for both University Honors and the Professional Writing Program at Maryland. She has published work in Disability in Science Fiction and Discovering Dune, the first edited collections of scholarly work on their respective subjects, and is a regular panelist at the World Science Fiction Convention. She practices and advocates for ungrading and using science fiction to teach the humanities in interdisciplinary contexts. She has received both the Impact and Innovation Award (2023) and the UH Mission Award (2024) recognizing her teaching and contributions to the University Honors community. In her free time, she snuggles with her English bulldog and ballroom dances.