Academic Research

How can we better understand our place within, and relationships with, the rest of the living world, and how can this lead to better collective wellbeing?

My research is multidisciplinary, drawing from behavioural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. It explores two particular strands of the themes above:

What do our relationships with wild animals in urban environments teach us about them, about us, about the cultural narratives that shape these relationships? How we can use this towards creating healthier multispecies coexistence and communities?
How do we understand and manage our relationship with risks to our safety and wellbeing posed by ‘natural hazards’?

“We don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are.”

Anaïs Nin

Since late 2023 I have embarked on a new research project, entitled ‘Caring Wildly’, funded by the Open University. In it I explore human-animal relationships in the context of a wildlife sanctuary using multispecies methodology.

A core driver for this is my own work in the rehabilitation and care of wild animals. I run a small, private sanctuary from my home. I have experience across a wide range of species but my focus has become corvids (the crow family) and grey squirrels, for which I have a licence.

To learn more about my work in wildlife rehabilitation and care you can check out my sanctuary page here and follow my Nala’s Nook Facebook page.

Since late 2023 I have embarked on a new research project, entitled ‘Caring Wildly’, funded by the Open University. In it I explore human-animal relationships in the context of a wildlife sanctuary using multispecies methodology.

A core driver for this is my own work in the rehabilitation and care of wild animals. I run a small, private sanctuary from my home. I have experience across a wide range of species but my focus has become corvids (the crow family) and grey squirrels, for which I have a licence.

To learn more about my work in wildlife rehabilitation and care you can check out my sanctuary page here and follow my Nala’s Nook Facebook page.

“What we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”

Werner Heisenberg

Volcán Galeras, Pasto, Colombia. Taken by José Camilo Martínez S. during a steam fumarole. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license, the image has been cropped.

Volcán Galeras, Pasto, Colombia during a steam fumarole. Taken by José Camilo Martínez S. Licensed under Creative Commons, the image has been cropped.

Humans & Natural Hazards

My early research career focused on risks posed to humans by natural hazards, including extreme weather, climate change, and volcanic risks. I worked across cultures to seek a better understanding of how risks are communicated by scientists and received by communities at risk, and how decisions are made and acted upon to manage those risks.

I explored a number of themes including different ways of knowing, the psychology of risk and resilience, human-environment relationships across cultures, and behaviour change; drawing primarily on health, environmental and social psychology.

“I’ve worked with Jacqui Wilmshurst on a series of documentaries for NBC and The Weather Channel about community and individual psychological response to severe weather, specifically tornados. She was extremely dedicated, passionate, and knowledgeable about the project and was an absolute asset to the films. I give her my highest recommendation and hope I will be able to work with her again in the future.”

Brent E. Huffman, Professor at Northwestern University & Documentary Filmmaker.