Robert McLeman is specialised in research on the human dimensions of environmental change, with particular attention paid to the relationship between the environment and human migration; community adaptation to climatic variability and change; and fostering citizen participation in environmental science.

As a former Canadian foreign service officer, Robert McLeman worked at Canadian diplomatic missions in Belgrade, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Seattle and Vienna. In recent years, he has advised UN agencies, the World Bank and governments in Canada, the US and Europe on issues related to climate change, migration and security. Robert McLeman served as a Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group II Sixth Assessment Report on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, being responsible for the chapter assessing climate change risks for health, well-being, migration and conflict.

He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Guelph (2005), a Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of Hong Kong (1995) and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Western Ontario (1989).