Professor Jessica Davies

Research Grants

QUENCH: A network linking the Quality of Urban Environments with Nature Connectedness and Health

Funded by NERC, 2021-2022

I am Principal Investigator of this network in collaboration with colleagues in Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Medical School, and the University of Liverpool in Psychology and Geography. This network aims to connect researchers, practitioners and policymakers across disciplines and sectors to mobilise urban ecosystems to support nature-connectedness and health, while delivering environmental benefits.

CROPBOOSTER-P: Preparatory action to Boost Global Crop Yield for Food & Nutrition Security and fueling a Bioeconomy

Funded by Horizon 2020 (H2020-EU.3.2.1.1., H2020-EU.3.2.2.2.), 2018-2022

I am a Work Package leader on this project coordinated by Wageningen Research, which aims to identify priorities and opportunities for adapting and boosting crop productivity, nutritional quality and sustainability. In our WP we will assess the economic, social and environmental implications of the crop and farming technologies on the horizon to help steer future research and action.

Rurban Revolution: Can ruralising urban areas through greening and growing create a healthy, sustainable and resilient food system? Funded by the Global Food Security Programme, BBSRC, ESRC, NERC and Scottish Government, 2019-2021

I was Principal Investigator of this 2.5 year research project working in collaboration with colleagues in the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster, the University of Liverpool and Cranfield University. This research focused on building an integrated evidence base on the potential of ruralisation in urban areas through greening and horticultural growing – or “rurbanisation” - as a transformative solution for a healthy, resilient and sustainable food system. It explored how rurbanisation influences:

• Health and wellbeing by changing access and consumption of fruit and vegetables and reducing stress,
• Food production in terms of quantity, quality and safety and the resilience of the UK food system, and
• Ecosystem service delivery inside and outside cities?

Soil-Value: Valuing and enhancing soil infrastructure to improve societal sustainability and resilience @Soilinf

Funded by EPSRC Early Career Living With Environmental Change Fellowship, 2016-2021

This 5-year fellowship focused on advancing our understanding of soils as a critical infrastructure that supports our societies: providing us with food, filtering and buffering flows of water, and regulating the carbon cycle. We need to better understand the value of this infrastructure to society and its resilience to changing management and climate.

As part of this project, I was seconded to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to help build business engagement with soils, creating the business case for soil and finding new ways for companies to invest in this natural infrastructure that supports their business. As a result, I am lead editor of a collaborative report that brought together over 20 global businesses, NGOs and IOs on the business case for investing in soils.

Soil Natural Capital valuation needs for agri-food businesses

Funded by NERC as part of the Valuing Nature Programme, 2018

Soils are a key natural asset in agri-food supply chains. Yet their valuation is often overlooked as few ecosystems services flow directly from soils to goods, or human benefits. This synthesis report considered what a natural capital approach to soil could offer businesses, existing approaches, and key gaps to implementing this in practice.

External Roles

Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Nutrient Management Expert Group member. The Nutrient Management Expert Group independently reviews and analyses existing policy, alongside up-to-date technical and scientific evidence on fertilisers and nutrient management. It considers the multiple challenges surrounding nutrient management and develops recommendations on the optimal policy approaches to minimise nitrogen-based and other pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fertiliser use. The Group engages with industry representatives and other key stakeholders to ensure its recommendations have practical merit.

Strategic Advisory Team member and Chair of the Early Career Forum for the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council’s Engineering Theme - 2018-2021 EPSRC’s strategic advisory teams advise the council on research and training strategy in different areas of their remit, paying attention to multidisciplinary opportunities. The Early Career Forum acts as a complementary informal stream of advice that reflects the early career engineering community.