Leslie Vinjamuri

About Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri is the president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She joined the Council in 2025 from the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London, where she served as director of the US and the Americas program and previously as dean of the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs.  

Dr. Vinjamuri has more than 20 years of experience in international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement. Aside from her roles at Chatham House, she was a professor of International Relations at SOAS University of London, served on the faculty of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and held fellowships at Harvard University and the London School of Economics. Dr. Vinjamuri currently serves as Deputy Chair of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and Vice Chair of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. 

She is the author of more than 30 publications, including in journals Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, International Security, Ethics and International Affairs, and Survival. She is also a regular media commentator, contributing to pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Guardian, Sunday Times, Telegraph, and Independent and appearing regularly on CNN, Bloomberg, and BBC. 

Dr. Vinjamuri received a BA from Wesleyan University (Phi Beta Kappa), an MSc (Distinction) from the London School of Economics, and a PhD from Columbia University.