Overview

Jess is a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) and comes from public health practice.

While she currently works on the health impacts of climate change, she has expertise in health inequality, children and young people’s health, sexual health, women and girls’ rights and domestic and sexual violence. Jess is also an experienced facilitator and trainer.

Her work centres around bridging the gap between research and practice; bringing a public health approach to big issues like climate adaptation and promoting equitable engagement and co-design approaches.

Jess currently works on LCAT, a tool which supports local decision-makers to understand their future climate, subsequent health impacts, vulnerable populations and evidence-based solutions for action. The tool was highly commended in the international Climate Challenge Cup as part of COP-26 and is currently supported by Horizon Europe and UKRI BlueAdapt.

Jess leads the public health approach on LCAT, including the projects’ enquiry into equitable adaptation, health inequality and climate justice.  She leads LCAT’s stakeholder engagement and co-design process, working in partnership with local and national policy-makers and practitioners to design a tool that meets their needs while understanding the policy and practice barriers and levers to climate adaptation action.

In addition to the main tool, she leads the development of a co-designed learning resource to help local policy-makers and practitioners understand climate adaptation and health and wellbeing impacts.

Jess is also an artist and ambassador for Arts Well, championing the links between creativity, the arts and health and wellbeing. She is always looking for ways to bring art, justice, health and the environment/ nature together!

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) English Literature (Cardiff)
• MSC Public Health (University of the West Of England - UWE)