Jess Britton is a Research Fellow on the iGov2 project. Prior to this she completed a South West Doctoral Training Centre funded PhD on the development of heat networks in the UK and Germany. Her thesis examined the role of local government and municipal ownership in heat network development with a focus on the interaction of city-scale discursive shifts and broader institutional change.

From 2012 – 2015 she acted as an independent consultant for Ofgem working on their Non-Traditional Business Models consultation and update to License Lite guidance. She was also    awarded a research challenge on smart meter data and the public interest by Sustainability First and the Centre for Sustainable Energy in 2016. This focussed on the devolved, regional and local potential for domestic smart meter data to serve the public interest agenda.

Jess also worked in sustainability policy and projects for 10 years, working as a Sustainability Manager in both local government and the NHS. In these roles she managed organisational climate change strategies and delivered energy, waste, transport and procurement projects. She also acted as a Research Associate on the Energy Security in a Multipolar World research cluster from 2012 – 2013.

Jess has developed extensive understanding of the role of decentralised actors in energy transitions and is particularly interested in how more diverse actors, business models and value propositions will be incorporated into a sustainable energy system. She is also interested in decentralisation, political devolution and the role of civil society in transitions.