Rate My Professor Stephen Leatherman

Stephen Leatherman is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University, contributing to geoscience through his expertise in coastal science. Renowned as "Dr. Beach," he has earned a Ph.D. in Environmental (Coastal) Sciences from the University of Virginia in 1976 and a B.S. in Geosciences from North Carolina State University in 1970. His academic career began as Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at Boston University from 1975 to 1977. He then served as Director of the National Park Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, from 1976 to 1981, followed by roles at the University of Maryland as Assistant Professor (1981-1983), Associate Professor (1983-1989), and Professor (1989-1997), where he also directed the Laboratory for Coastal Research and the Center for Global Change. Since joining FIU in 1997, he has held positions including Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research (1997-2014), Director of the International Hurricane Research Center (1997-2009), and We Will Rebuild Chair Professor (2001-2010).

An internationally recognized authority on hurricane impacts, beach erosion, effects of sea level rise, and rip currents, Leatherman has authored or edited 20 books such as "Sea Level Rise: Causes and Consequences" (2001, editor), "Barrier Island Handbook" (1979, editor, multiple reprints), "Cape Cod: From Glaciers to Beaches" (1988), "America’s Best Beaches" (1998), "Dr. Beach’s Survival Guide" (2003), and "Rip Currents: Beach Safety, Physical Oceanography and Wave Modeling" (2011, editor). He has published over 280 journal articles and technical reports, including in Science and Nature. Leatherman produces the annual America's Top 10 Best Beaches ranking, has provided expert testimony 11 times to U.S. Congressional Committees, and was on-screen host and co-producer of the "Vanishing Lands" documentary (1992), which won three international awards including the Golden Eagle. His accolades include Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Geological Society of America, multiple FIU Flame Awards (2019,2021,2023), Florida Icon (2018), and the Russell Award for Coastal & Marine Research (2014).