Jess is a world-leading ancient historian and writer, and an award-winning researcher with a passion for sharing the wonders, secrets, and charms of past civilisations with new generations.

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In 2018, Jess was awarded a three-year scholarship from the AHRC-M4C for research into the agricultural gardens of Pompeii and in 2021 was chosen as a TV PhD Delegate for the Edinburgh TV Festival.​ She is currently Editor of Vesuvian Sites for the world’s first online corpus of ancient Roman gardens and has a decade of experience in historical research, writing for publication, and public speaking. 

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Jess has spent the past few years uncovering the urban agricultural gardens of first century AD Pompeii, using archaeological, archaeobotanical, material, epigraphic, and pictorial remains to reconstruct the diets, occupations, tastes, and habits of real Roman people living and working 2,000 years ago.

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She has spoken publicly on the subject of Roman identity, architectural space, gardens, and food all over the world, from London to San Francisco, and has been interviewed for podcasts and magazines. Jess has also published a number of her own articles and publications.

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Her first academic book explores the urban gardens of Pompeii and the sustainable techniques of those who cultivated them, while her first non-fiction book (currently in the works) will delve into the gardens of the Roman Empire.

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