Growing up in Connecticut, Lessard graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont, before completing further study in Oceanography at University of Rhode Island.
[1] In 2009 Evelyn Lessard was involved in the Bering Sea Ecosystem Expedition aboard the USCGC Healy.
Lessard was joined by Marine Organic Geochemist Rodger Harvey and together they led a team Lessard nicknamed the 'Krill Gang' to determine the different rates of lipids krill acquire preying on different food sources, as well as measuring krill growth and egg production to gage future population.
[1] Along with lecturing in marine biology,[3] Lessard's current research work focuses on the effect climate has on ocean temperature and acidification.
[4] In 2016 Lessard spoke to The New York Times about experiencing difficulties in acquiring funding for a project to deploy sensors to identify algae blooms[5] - similar projects in the Gulf of Mexico have detected levels of toxic algae high enough to cause poisoning.