Jess's dissertation considers how 20th century political thinkers theorized work refusal—a "weapon of the weak"—as a source of revolutionary strength in the form of the general strike. Jess was a Collaborative Humanities Fellow at the Cogut Institute in 2019-2020 and served as an Interdisciplinary Opportunities Fellow at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice in 2020-2021. They hold a B.A. from Amherst College and were previously a Junior Fellow in the Energy and Climate program at the Carnegie  Endowment for International Peace.