I am a Senior Research Associate and Tutor/Lecturer at the University of Bristol where I work in the field of Sociology. I have previously worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford in the Department of Education and as a Researcher and Supervisor at the University of Warwick. I predominantly look at issues relating to gender and social class and successfully completed a EdD Doctor of Education at Oxford Brookes University in 2023, with a study entitled 'Doing the Heavy Lifting: the experiences of working-class professional services and administrative staff in Russell Group universities'. My other main research interests are 1) Innovation in qualitative research methodologies, 2) Ethical practice in conducting qualitative research 3) Education and the experience of minoritised and marginalised people with a particular focus on social class 4) 'Research on Research' and research cultures in higher education settings, and 5) Women, social class and the UK military.
I am currently undertaking a PhD in History at the University of Bristol under the supervision of Dr Grace Huxford, Dr Richard Toye and Dr Harry Raffal. My research here focuses on the experiences of women in the Royal Air Force in the 1990s and early 2000s, during a period of change and upheaval in policy and practice. The PhD is funded by the AHRC and is a collaboration between the University of Bristol. University of Exeter and the Royal Air Force Museum. It is particularly focused on talking with female veterans and uses the photovoice technique to integrate images and objects into the interview scenario.
Previously, I worked as a Research Associate at the University of Bristol School of Management (2021-2022), Research Assistant in Education research at the University of Oxford (2019-2021), as a research project manager and administrator at the University of Oxford (2018-2021) and as a researcher at the NGO, Education Development Trust. I came into university spaces having spent nearly a decade as a semi-professional athlete, sports coach and teaching assistant.
Email: jess.brown@bristol.ac.uk
Twitter: @jessbrown_UK
Research Website: https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/jess-pilgrim-brown