Maria Fernandes-Jesus

Dr. Maria Fernandes-Jesus is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Sussex's School of Psychology, where she focuses on climate justice, collective action, and youth activism. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Porto and has held roles including Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Sussex and York St John University. Her research explores how communities resist social injustices, with a particular emphasis on climate-related migration, migrant justice, and youth-led climate movements. She currently leads the British Academy-funded 'Agency in Climate Migration' project and co-edits the Journal of Social and Political Psychology and Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology.

Research Interests: Climate Justice, Young People’s Political Agency, Migrant Justice, Collective Action, Community Psychology, Social Movements. Her interdisciplinary work combines qualitative and participatory methods to center marginalized voices in climate activism and social justice struggles.

Grants: 2024-2026 British Academy Grant (Agency in Climate Migration); 2021-2024 Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Grant (JUSTFUTURES).

Teaching & Supervision: Convenes modules on qualitative and quantitative research methods. Supervises PhD candidates Samreen Chhabra (Sussex), Daniela Ferreira da Silva (University of Minho), and Felipe Quintão (Iscte-Lisbon).

Professional Activities: Member of the Climate and Environmental Action Coordinating Group at Sussex; European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action MC member; Guest Editor for Community Psychology in Global Perspective.