Jessica Barnes

Jessica is an interdisciplinary researcher broadly interested in the science and stewardship of social-ecological systems. She is motivated by translational research that advances attention to human dimensions and systems thinking in applied conservation. She has worked in forested, grassland, agricultural, and coastal contexts using a variety of methods, including interviews, focus groups, surveys, geospatial analysis, and a little bit of ecological modelling. 

From 2018-2022, Jessica was a research scientist in the Dayer Lab and served as the National Bird Conservation Social Science Coordinator. She engaged with agencies, migratory bird joint ventures, and nongovernmental organizations to identify information needs about the human dimensions of bird habitat conservation; conducted research to fill those gaps; and translated social science findings to improve outcomes for both birds and people. Her work included identifying drivers of landowner decision-making about grassland restoration in the Great Plains; co-facilitating a participatory planning process for wildlife viewing in Virginia; and characterizing wildlife recreationists across the U.S. Jessica then spent 3 ½ years as a social scientist in the Policy Office of the U.S. Forest Service. In this national-level position, Jessica provided technical leadership on the incorporation of social science theories, methods, and data in agency policy, planning, and monitoring across administrative regions and management scales. She contributed to advisory and technical teams working on issues including outdoor recreation, mineral extraction, environmental mitigation, old-growth forests, and wildfire risk reduction.   

Jessica resumed a research appointment at Virginia Tech in September 2025 and is collaborating on multiple projects on the human dimensions of forest conservation on private lands in the eastern U.S. Her projects currently focus on landowner participation in grazing, haying, and silvopasture on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in the southeast and in bird-friendly management of maple forests used for syrup production in the northeast.  

Jessica holds a Ph.D. in Forestry & Environmental Resources from North Carolina State University. Her dissertation research explored restoration of the functionally extinct American chestnut to Appalachian forests, including the governance of genetic approaches to restoration and the suitability of reintroduced populations for future conditions in the species’ native range. Outside of work, Jessica can be found checking out more library books than she has time to read, trying to grow things in her backyard garden, playing with watercolor paints, and enjoying Florida’s beaches and forests with her husband and three daughters. She also teaches undergraduate courses through the Institute of Environmental Research and Education at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.