Vanessa Taylor

Dr Vanessa J Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental History at the University of Greenwich, affiliated with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences. She joined the Greenwich Maritime Institute as a research fellow in 2009 and has taught on the BA History programme since 2016.

Her research focuses on the environmental and social history of modern Britain, particularly the interplay between water, energy, and the politics of rivers. Recent work includes the book Seven Rivers: A Journey through the Currents of Human History (2025, Weidenfeld and Nicolson) and a collaborative project on energy transitions and everyday life.

Vanessa is actively engaged in the history and politics of the Thames environment, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives from historians and sociologists.