Thomas Leinbach

Thomas R. Leinbach, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky, died on December 8, 2009, at the age of 68. Leinback was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on November 28, 1941. He received an undergraduate degree in transport economics from Pennsylvania State University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi. He remained at Penn State, where he later earned both a master’s degree and PhD in geography. Leinbach spent six years teaching at the University of Vermont in Burlington before moving to the University of Kentucky in 1977, where he spent the majority of his professional career. His work focused on transportation and economic geography, global production networks, e-commerce, and rural development in Southeast Asia. As a scholar, Leinbach traveled to and did work on a wide variety of countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Leinbach served as a consultant for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. From 1990 until his death, Leinbach was the editor of the journal, Growth and Change: A Journal of Urban and Regional Policy. During his career he received more than 25 grants and awards to fund and support his research. Through the course of his career he received research awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Ford Foundation, and Fulbright-Hays. In 1996, Leinbach was recognized as a Centennial Fellow at his alma mater for his career accomplishments. In 2001, Leinbach was awarded the honor of Advanced Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. In 2002, the UK Board of Trustees named him a University Research Professor, and he was honored with the UK College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Award in 2006.

Thomas R. Leinbach (Necrology). 2009. AAG Newsletter 45(3): 14.