Jessica Dawn Pratt

Jessica Dawn Pratt is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology within the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She primarily teaches courses in the campus-wide minor in Global Sustainability and the Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science program, which she helped develop over three years before its approval in 2017.

Her research focuses on community ecology with particular interests in conservation science and restoration ecology. Pratt collaborates with other faculty to examine how plant species respond to environmental changes and how these responses affect associated animal communities. Her work addresses questions about functional trait variation across species ranges, local adaptation versus phenotypic plasticity, and how plant responses cascade through ecological communities. Previous research includes animal behavior, tropical bird foraging ecology, conservation value of tropical agricultural ecosystems, and butterfly species range shifts.

Pratt uniquely integrates research and teaching by focusing on ecological grief and climate anxiety in students, exploring the affective domains of environmental education. She has developed innovative educational approaches including public poster sessions for sustainability students and collaborative assignments with education faculty to design sustainability lesson plans.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Ecoservice Award from ESA Student Section and Union of Concerned Scientists

Pratt is deeply committed to mentoring students in the Global Sustainability minor program and has extensive experience supervising undergraduate research. She developed the Spring Break in the Desert service-learning program and partners with community organizations for outreach. As Education and Outreach Coordinator for UC-Irvine's Center for Environmental Biology, she mentored students in K-12 education initiatives connecting university research with underrepresented STEM students.

She is a founding member and former President of the Orange County Society for Conservation Biology and has held leadership roles in the Society for Conservation Biology since 2004. Pratt completed over 300 hours of service through Americorps and co-chaired UCI's Focus the Nation conference, raising $45,000 for climate change education events.