My pronouns are she/her
Jess completed her BSc (Hons) in Zoology at The University of Western Australia and the University of the Sunshine Coast, where her research uncovered new links between reptile social behaviour and the spread of an infectious disease.
Curious about how animal social interactions can play out in different environments, Jess joined the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) as a research assistant. There, she explored the socio-economic and ecological impacts of toothed whale depredation in sub-Antarctic fisheries; a project that deepened her understanding of the complexity of human–wildlife interactions across environments.
Now, as a DPhil student in the Department of Biology, Jess investigates how individual differences in elephant behaviour could influence human–elephant conflict in the Kunene region of Namibia. She is also exploring how different groups of people, from local communities to international members of the public, would like to see this conflict managed. Jess’s goal is to help shape sustainable solutions to human-elephant conflict that work for both people and wildlife.
