Project Team

WILLIAM LEISS, PHD, FRSC

William Leiss is the NSERC/SSHRC Industrial Research Chair in Risk Communication and Public Policy, Faculty of Management at the University of Calgary. He is also a Professor with the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University as well as the Executive-in-Residence for the McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Leiss is interested in the study of risk controversies and has authored numerous publications on diverse subjects such as risk and radio-frequency fields and cellular telephones, biotechnology and its regulation in Canada, risk and mad cow disease, and risk analysis of dioxins.

Selected Publications:

Leiss W. "Dioxins or Chemical Stigmata" Chapter 16 In: J Flynn, H Kunreuther and P Slovic (Eds), "Risk, Media and Stigma". London: Earthscan Publications, 2001; pp 257-67.

Leiss W. "The public policy relevance of the risk amplification framework," N Pidgeon, R Kasperson and P Slovic (Eds), Oxford University Press, 2001.

Leiss W. The international risk controversy about radio-frequency fields and cellular telephones: a Canadian case study. J Risk Res 2001; 4.

Leiss W. In The Chamber of Risks: Understanding Risk Controversies. McGill-Queen's University Press; August 2001.

Leiss W and Tyshenko M. "Some Aspects of the 'New Biotechnology' and its Regulation in Canada" D. VanNijnatten & R. Boardman (Eds.), Canadian Environmental Policy, 2nd Edn., Oxford University Press, 2001.

Leiss W and Powell D. Mad Cows and Mother's Milk: The Perils of Poor Risk Communication. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1997.

Leiss W. Under Technology's Thumb. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1990. Reprinted 1994.


Leiss W and Chociolko C. Risk and Responsibility. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1994.