Rate My Professor Erin Leitao

Erin Leitao is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland. She holds a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Victoria and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Calgary. Following her doctoral studies, she conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Bristol before joining the University of Auckland in 2015 as a Lecturer. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2018 and to Associate Professor in 2025. Leitao is also a Principal Investigator with the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.

Her research focuses on main-group synthesis, polymers, catalysis, and green chemistry, with an emphasis on developing safe-by-design functional inorganic molecules and polymers through efficient catalytic methods. The Leitao Lab explores linking earth-abundant main-group elements to create new materials with tailored properties, such as semi-conducting capabilities, while avoiding petroleum-derived feedstocks and minimizing toxic by-products. In 2016, she was named the New Zealand Fellow of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme. Leitao contributes to the academic community through her roles in research institutes and funding successes, including Marsden Fund grants supporting work on alternatives to harmful chemicals like PFAS.