https://www.jessicarichphd.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f67ce7619224a60f339822b/aec83ec2-e21a-4772-b012-7a37ff324149/Rich_2024.jpg Home Hello and welcome! I am an Assistant Research Professor at Virginia Tech. As a communication researcher, I am invested in the potential for discourse to create equitable workplaces and to generate just socio-ecological futures in the face of global environmental crisis. I use qualitative methods to investigate how patterns of power and resistance emerge through decision-making processes and professional identity formation. Situated in the contexts of energy industries and the culture of Arctic science, I examine how power organizes individuals in diverse workspaces—whether in the office, the lab, the field site or the drill site—and how work shapes human-nature relations. https://www.jessicarichphd.com/research daily 0.75 2026-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f67ce7619224a60f339822b/ff846349-560d-4bf1-870a-152da2b1d277/2F6CBC5B-5A9F-4574-9521-751BCEE5702C.jpeg About My Research - Science-Community Partnerships I am Co-PI with the Greenland Hazards Project, which is funded through the National Science Foundation's Navigating the New Arctic initiative to map geophysical change along Greenland's coasts. As the project’s social scientist, I study science-community collaboration in Greenland. Scientists are increasingly encouraged to build relationships with community members where research sites are deployed. Challenges often emerge that can hinder the effectiveness of these partnerships. For example, the difference in priorities and goals between scientists and community needs can lead to potential misalignment in project objectives. Furthermore, organizational structures within scientific institutions can create rigid frameworks that do not easily accommodate the flexible and adaptive approaches typically found in community initiatives. These challenges necessitate careful planning and ongoing dialogue to foster productive and meaningful collaboration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f67ce7619224a60f339822b/d0b99887-2204-4155-8a7f-28a53440903f/MilkBeerSoup1.jpg About My Research - Labor-Environment Relations My research also explores labor-environment relations in carbon-dependent economies and the implications of fossil fuel operations for work, identity, public health, and natural environments. Integrating in-depth interviews, participant observation, and media analysis, my work draws from qualitative fieldwork in communities negatively impacted by oil and gas industries. My writing has appeared in journals such as Environmental Communication, Sustainability, and Ephemera. I am co-editor of the volume, Pipeline Pedagogy: Teaching about Energy and Environmental Justice Contestations (2021, AESS Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and Sciences Series). https://www.jessicarichphd.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-10-07 https://www.jessicarichphd.com/projects daily 0.75 2026-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f67ce7619224a60f339822b/27519d31-7d96-4feb-9829-db67cf251eaf/DSC_5619.png Projects - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f67ce7619224a60f339822b/d7a687d4-0e69-4a4e-b089-d7625308cdab/20181103_181632.jpg Projects - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f67ce7619224a60f339822b/1372238c-bb23-4d2f-bf8d-e35134009175/imag1404.png Projects - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.