Leonard holds a PhD from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), received in 2001 and became Docent (Associate professor) at the same university in 2008. He has been a Post Doctoral Researcher at the National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark, and Marie Curie senior research fellow and Guest Researcher at Aarhus University. He is a former deputy head of institute and head of section at the Institute of Freshwater Research, SLU and has more than 20 years’ experience as a researcher and project leader. Leonard has a keen interest in applied freshwater ecology and his research interests include: drivers for local and regional biodiversity, the functioning of ecological (river) networks, the relationship between ecosystem structure and function, scale related issues in freshwater ecology, the importance of spatial and temporal variation in assessment and monitoring, and the effects of hydrological and morphological factors on freshwater organisms. Some of his recent projects and publications focuses on climate change effects on freshwater restoration measures, multiple pressure effects on riverine ecosystems, and the evaluation of the effects of restoration measures on freshwater organisms. 

Aquatic ecology, Applied research, Aquatic ecosystems, Benthic fauna, Benthic invertebrates, Biodiversity, Biological diversity, Climate change, Community ecology, Ecological functioning, Environmental monitoring and assessment, Ecological restoration, Ecological status, Ecosystem services, Electro fishing, Environmental design, Environmental impacts, Environmental policy, EU Water Framework Directive, Fish, Habitat assessment, Hydropower, Indicator development, IPBES, Landscape connectivity, Landscape ecology, Mitigation effort, Nature-based solutions, Nordic cooperation, Protected areas, Restoration, Rivers and lakes, Running water ecosystems, Species diversity, Urban ecology