Leslie Young is a Staff Scientist within Planetary Science Directorate at the Southwest Research Institute.   She is an expert on Pluto, and was involved in or led many of the discoveries that revolutionized our understanding of this complex world, including the roles on NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto as Deputy Project Scientist and Pluto Encounter Planning lead.  Related research includes theoretical work on tenuous atmospheres, including Pluto and the mesospheres and thermospheres of Titan, and the giant planets; volatile cycles on Pluto, Triton, and larger Kuiper Belt Objects; and surface and subsurface temperatures.  She was a firefighter in the Allenspark (Colorado) Fire Protection District (2000-2023), and is currently a volunteer for night programs in Rocky Mountain National Park.