Dr. Jesse Peterson is a lecturer with the Radical Humanities Laboratory and School of the Human Environment (Department of Geography) at University College Cork in Ireland. 

His research interests include more-than-human relations, environmental change, and science and technology, with a specific focus on biodiversity loss and oceanic degradation. He researches human relationships to each other and the environment, so that people can better resolve environmental challenges and achieve more just and mutually beneficial societies. His work cuts across the disciplines of geography, science and technology studies, cultural studies, creative writing, and related fields. 

Funding for his research has come from international and national funding bodies as well as academic institutions. The project "From Virtual Tourism to Citizen Science: Investigating How Publics Produce and Consume Datafied Wildlife in Sweden" was awarded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in 2023. He also co-led and received funding for two workshops during his PhD: "Dying at the Margins" (funded by EU/KTH) and "Writing with Undisciplined Discipline: An Environmental Humanities Writing Workshop” (funded by Seedbox). His PhD was fully funded through the EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks 2020 program, and his master's degrees were also funded through scholarships and teaching stipends.

He has contributed to various projects and research groups, including Extending Realities, ENVIROCITIZEN: Citizen Science for Environmental Citizenship, One by Walking, The Posthumanities Hub, Digital Ecologies, and ENHANCE - Environmental Humanities for a Concerned Europe.

about

My research programme consists of linking international researchers interested in producing scholarship across the  intersections of the natural and social sciences, humanities, and the arts. We form part of the radical humanities laboratory at UCC and its key research themes in environmental humanities, intersectional humanities, and artistic research. 

prospective team members

If you are already an established researcher, please contact me directly with an expression of interest or proposal. If you are a graduate student or prospective graduate student, please familiarise yourself with the Radical Humanities Laboratory and the School of the Human Environment (specifically the department of geography's graduate program). Afterwards, please contact me with a short description of your research interests and your CV. 

mission 

To explore engagements between societies and their environments—especially how they understand and influence each other—in order to make creative space for societies and people to learn and engage (and do so) radically (as needed) with humans and other beings. 

vision

To expose how humans are literally and imaginatively enlaced, stuck, or even fused with processes, things, or beings we don’t typically regard as human and to enliven our understanding of other beings and places as dynamic. The means to accomplish this vision involve using interdisciplinary research based in social sciences and the humanities to contextualise environmental challenges, offer critical correctives, and co-create pathways (Fecher et al. 2021) for developing equitable socio-ecological relations.

values

We aim to produce research characterised by equity, accountability, openness, inclusivity, and experimentation. We acknowledge the influence of scholarship in environmental humanities and critical theories (e.g., feminist, indigenous, disability) in shaping our values as well as those who have pioneered and use similar values in research (e.g.,  CLEAR Lab).

Courses Taught
GG2040: Geographies of Environment and Sustainability
GG3060: Geoimaginaries of the Sciences and the Arts

To me, teaching is an ethical responsibility and privilege. I believe teaching should assist students to become lifelong learners. Thus, I view teaching as the means by which to facilitate “active learning,” a pedagogical approach that identifies important questions and possible transformations rather than on “feeding” students information. I teach through a critical approach to pedagogy, incorporating diverse perspectives and approaches and aiding students develop critical perspectives through peer networks. In the classroom, I practice adaptive teaching, which seeks to accommodate student needs and aptitudes through the application of different instructional methods and strive to establish a safe learning environment in which students feel welcome, supported, and engaged.

My teaching interests span various approaches and fields including geography, environmental humanities, science and technology studies, and cultural studies.