Jessica is a social science researcher based at the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. Using qualitative methods, her research explores questions about the relationship between life science research and gendered bodies drawing primarily from sociology and science and technology studies.

Her PhD research is funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council and she recently received a Fulbright scholarship for a pre-doctoral position at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Research

Thesis title: 'Situating paternal effects in epigenetic research'

Jessica’s current research examines the social, political and ethical dimensions of epigenetics. She is especially interested in the intersection of epigenetics and the field of paternal effects.

Using interviews and a document analysis, Jessica is tracing the histories and emerging futures of these domains of scientific research and asking how these reconceptualise, or reinforce, existing assumptions about reproduction, heredity and parental responsibility, in both human and non-human bodies.

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor: Amy Hinterberger

Further details

See Jessica's research profile