Corinna Leschber obtained her doctorate in Slavic linguistics at the Institute for East-European Studies of the Freie Universität Berlin, after studying Romance, Slavic and Oriental languages (Freie Universität Berlin, Leningrad University, Sofia University).
She worked and taught at several universities in Bulgaria (St. Kliment Ochridski University Sofia, New Bulgarian University Sofia) and Germany (Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Universität Potsdam, Europa-Universität Viadrina/Frankfurt Oder) from 1991 to 2006.
Since 2006 she has been head of the Institute for Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Studies/Berlin. Her research interests are etymology, historical linguistics, and contact linguistics. Member of the Balkan Linguistic Commission of the International Committee of Slavists.
