Jessica was a young carer and was employed as a young adult in care homes and as a PA by older and Disabled people. She subsequently worked in housing, mental health support and drug and alcohol dependency services in the community and in residential settings. She recently volunteered for several years in suicide prevention.

She began her academic career researching law and society in North Africa and the Levant. From 2004-16, she completed several studies based on extensive court- and community-focussed fieldwork in Syria, Morocco, Egypt and Libya on family courts, migration, and transitional justice. This included some work on mental health reform and disability rights in the Middle East and North Africa. From 2016-20, she was involved in developing academic partnerships between UK universities and social science researchers in Senegal and Pakistan.

Since joining CPEC in April 2021, Jessica has worked on a study of how to comprehensively evaluate one strength-based approach to adult social care in the UK (Getting social care conversations right to improve care and support: exploring evaluation of “The 3 Conversations” in adult social care.), a pilot study on how to address barriers to social care innovation, and an evaluation of a discharge to assess model of post-hospital care for people at risk of homelessness in England (Evaluation of the Out-of-Hospital Care Models programme for people experiencing homelessness).

Jessica is the joint first author of the report ‘Psychological support for individuals historically infected  with HIV and/or hepatitis C as a result of NHS-supplied blood  transfusions and blood products,  and for affected families’.

She recently completed a NIHR SCRR Individual Career Development Award to work with third sector organisations and individuals to co-design research on the experiences and needs of friends and family (‘carers’) of people living with suicidal thoughts and feelings in LGBTQ+ communities in England.