Jessica Moody

Dr Jessica Moody is an Associate Professor in Public History at the Department of History (Historical Studies), University of Bristol, where she joined in 2017. Her research examines public memory of transatlantic enslavement, empire, colonialism, and the role of green heritage spaces as sites of memory and healing. She is currently a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow leading the project 'Plants, Enslavement and Public History: Re-imagining green spaces as places of heritage and healing' (2024-2028).

Her academic background includes a PhD and MA in Cultural Heritage Management from the University of York, and a BA in Archaeology and English from the University of Liverpool. Prior appointments include Lecturer in Modern History and Heritage at the University of Portsmouth (2014-2017) and Research Associate at the University of York (2014).

Moody's research centers on public history and collective memory of difficult histories, with emphasis on transatlantic slavery, creative counter-memorialisation, and co-produced memory work. She explores how gardens and green spaces function as 'heritage places' for reparative justice, bridging historical scholarship with community engagement through digital and artistic interventions like augmented reality and dance. Her work actively challenges traditional memorial practices through decolonial frameworks.

Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate consistent interdisciplinary focus on public memory of transatlantic enslavement and war commemoration, utilizing innovative methodologies including digital media, dance, and collaborative community research. These works reflect convergence of history, heritage studies, and digital humanities in addressing contested histories.

Her primary scientific recognition is the prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship.

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2024-2028)

Moody pioneered Bristol's Practice-Based Dissertation in History (2020-21) and created the 'Decolonise the Future!' Bristol Futures unit (2021-22). She has secured major research funding including the UKRI Citizen Science Project 'Citizens Researching Together: Reparative Justice through Collaborative Research' (2021-2023) as Co-I, and currently leads the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project.

• Principal Investigator: 'Plants, Enslavement and Public History' (UKRI, 2024-2028)
• Co-Investigator: 'We Are Bristol: Reparative Justice through Collaborative Research' (UKRI, 2021-2023)

She co-leads the 'Decolonising Memory' collaborative research strand with Cleo Lake and Kwesi Johnson, developing projects using dance, augmented reality, and original music for radical counter-memorialisation, operating through partnerships with Migration Mobilities Bristol and the Centre for Black Humanities.