Jess joined the STEPS team after completing an MSc in Forensic Speech Science at the University of York. Jess' MSc focused on the practical application of linguistics, phonetics and acoustics to legal proceedings. Examples of Jess’ research area included ear-witness evidence, audio authentication, speech recognition technology and forensic speaker comparison analysis.

Prior to this, Jess undertook a BA degree in English Language and Linguistics at Lancaster University, graduating in 2019. During her BA, she particularly enjoyed studying psycholinguistics, phonetics and cognitive linguistics.

In Jess’ spare time she enjoys reading and baking and is a massive Taylor Swift fan. Jess is originally from Devon and loves being by the sea with her friends, family and her two Spaniels - Maddie and Pebbles.