Leigha McReynolds holds a PhD in English from The George Washington University and is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in University Honors at the University of Maryland. Her current research focuses on disability and eugenics in contemporary science fiction. In her teaching, she uses science fiction texts to engage students across disciplines and kindle enthusiasm for research and writing. She has published chapters in Disability in Science Fiction and Dune for the 21st Century, the first edited collections of scholarly work on their respective subjects.