Lea Shanley

Lea Shanley is a Senior Associate and Director of the Commons Lab within the Science and Technology Innovation Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center. The Commons Lab advances research and policy analysis on new technologies and methods, like social media and crowdsourcing, which provide the tools to mobilize “digital volunteers” to support humanitarian aid and disaster response, collect actionable scientific data, and enhance citizen engagement in public decision-making.

Prior to this, Lea was a Postdoctoral Fellow on the Mapping Science Committee of the National Academy of Sciences, where she co-directed two NRC reports: Precise Geodetic Infrastructure: National Requirements for a Shared Resource; and New Research Directions for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. These reports recommended strategic S&T priorities for geodesy, hazards monitoring, and national security.

In 2009, Lea was an AAAS/ASA-CSSA-SSSA Congressional Science Fellow and the primary science adviser to the Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Science and Space. She managed the Senator's priorities for federal R&D and crafted legislation addressing earth observation governance, oceans issues, and hazards research and mitigation.

Previously, Lea conducted community-based participatory action research in geographic information science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This research engaged local and tribal communities in the development and use of GIS-based decision support systems, enabling collaborative decision-making for improved emergency management, resource management, and land use.

Lea has served on professional committees, including the National States Geographic Information Council’s Data Sharing Working Group and the Steering Committee for the Value of Information Workshop, hosted by Resources for the Future. She was an integral member of a leadership team that established the Wisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council. Her awards include a NSF IGERT Fellowship for the Vespucci Summer Institute on Geographic information Science, Italy, with a focus on Spatial Data Infrastructures, and a Ford Foundation Community Forestry Research Fellowship.