Coming soon - new book! Climate Justice and the University: Shaping a Hopeful Future for (Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming in December 2024). Pre-order here.

A feminist, climate justice scholar-activist, writer, social-justice advocate and collaborator, Jennie Stephens is a Climate Justice Fellow at Harvard-Radcliffe (2023-2024) and the Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy at Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs in Boston, Massachusetts.

Her research, teaching, and community engagement focus on integrating transformative social justice, feminist, anti-racist perspectives into climate and energy policy, social and political aspects of fossil fuel phaseout and the renewable energy transition, energy democracy, gender in energy and climate, and climate justice in higher education. Her unique transdisciplinary approach leverages her background in social science, policy, science and engineering to focus on systemic and structural innovations to advance a paradigm shift to redistribute power (electric power, economic power and political power). In her 2020 book Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy published by Island Press, she argues that effectively addressing climate change requires diversifying leadership, redistributing wealth and power, and moving beyond mainstream male-dominated technocratic solutions to climate change. Throughout her career she has explored institutional and cultural innovation in the energy sector, including gender diversity, energy democracy, and technological optimism as well as the “usability” of climate science in climate resilience efforts. Her next book Climate Justice and the University: Shaping a Hopeful Future For All (Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming in 2024) proposes a paradigm shift to reimagine and restructure higher education to facilitate transformative social change toward a more just, healthy and stable future for all.

Jennie Stephens is a member of the New England Grist Fixer Network, the Climate Social Science Network, was a 2015-2016 Leopold Leadership fellow, and her book “Smart Grid (R)Evolution: Electric Power Struggles” (Cambridge University Press, 2015) explores social and cultural debates about energy system change (co-authored with Wilson & Peterson). Before Northeastern University, Professor Stephens was on the faculty at the University of Vermont (2014-2016) and Clark University (2005-2014). She did post-doctoral research at Harvard’s Kennedy School and she has taught courses at Tufts, Boston University, and MIT. She earned her PhD at the California Institute of Technology in Environmental Science & Engineering and her BA at Harvard University in Environmental Science and Policy.

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Upcoming Speaking Engagements

April 21 Earth Day - Community Church of Boston

Recent Publications

Fossil Fuel Interests in Puerto Rico: Perceptions of Incumbent Power and Discourses of Delay. Energy Research and Social Science. Feb 2024

The Dangers of Masculine Technological Optimism. Environmental Values. Feb. 2024

Central banks should be fighting the climate crisis - here’s why. The Conversation. January 4, 2024 with Martin Sokol

Reconnecting Economics Education with Today's Global Realities. Nonprofit Quarterly December 20, 2023

Financial innovation for climate justice: central banks and transformative ‘creative disruption. 2023. Climate and Development: 1-12. with M Sokol

Content Links

Radcliffe Fellows , Harvard Radcliffe Institute

Scholar Strategy Network (SSN)

Climate Social Science Network (CSSN)

Realising Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Energy sector transformation (REDIE). Collaborative Project Funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

Northeastern University Faculty Webpage

Education

  • Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (2002),  Environmental Science and Engineering

  • M.S. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (1998),  Environmental Science and Engineering

  • B.A. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (1997),  Environmental Science and Public Policy

Awards and Fellowships

  • Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellowship at Harvard, 2023-2024

  • Arab-American Frontiers Fellowship, National Academy of Sciences, 2017

  • Research Leadership Development Initiative, Northeastern, 2016-2017

  • Leopold Leadership Fellow, Stanford Woods Institute of Environmental, 2015-2016

  • Faculty Community Engagement Award, Colleges of the Worcester Consortium, March 2013

  • Excellence in Teaching Award, Department of International Development, Community, & Environment (IDCE), Clark University. May 2011

  • US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship for Graduate Study, 1999-2002

  • Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Fellowship, 2000-2002

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship, 1998-1999

  • Harvard College Research Fellowship and Dean’s Research Award, 1996

  • Pforzheimer Student Fellowship, Radcliffe College, 1994-199

Academic Positions

  • Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellow, Harvard University 2023-2024

  • Visiting Researcher, Department of Geography, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 2022-2023

  • Climate Justice Senior Fellow, Global Council for Science and Environment, 2022-2023

  • Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern (2018-present)

  • Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy, Northeastern University (2016-present)

  • Director of Strategic Research Collaborations, Global Resilience Institute, Northeastern (2017-present)

  • Senior Associate Director of Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative NEJRC (2016-present)

  • Associate Professor, Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy, University of Vermont (2014-2016)

  • Associate Fellow (2015-present), Tellus Institute, Boston MA USA

  • Associate Professor of Environmental Science & Policy, Clark University (2012-2014)

  • Assistant Professor of Environmental Science & Policy, Clark University (2005-2012)

  • Coordinator of Graduate Program in Environmental Science and Policy, Clark University (2007-2010, 2011-2012)

  • Research Associate Professor (2012-Present), Research Assistant Professor (2005-2012) Marsh Institute on Human Dimensions of Global-Environmental Change Clark University, Worcester, MA USA

  • Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy Group (2005-2011, 2013- present) Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA USA

  • Post-Doctoral Research Scholar, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (2002-2005) Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA USA

  • Visiting Lecturer, Environmental Policy Group, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning (2004-2005) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA

  • Adjunct Lecturer, Boston University, Department of Earth Sciences Boston, MA, USA (Summer 2003)

  • Adjunct Lecturer, Tufts University, Medford, MA USA (Spring 2003)