Jess is a Research Fellow within the Local and Regional Energy Systems theme of the UK Energy Research Centre, working on the local governance and policy needs for smart, flexible energy systems. Jess' research focusses on understanding the role of decentralised actors in achieving net-zero energy systems, and how this relates to local, regional and national governance structures. This incorporates research on interactions between decentralised energy systems and political devolution, the role of local governments, as well as smart cities and how energy business models are changing. Her PhD examined the development of heat networks in the UK and Germany with an emphasis on the role of municipal utilities. Previously she was an ESRC post-doctoral fellow at the University of Exeter and worked on the EPRSC project IGov (Innovation and Governance for future energy systems). She also researches gender and diversity within the energy industry and the research community.