Climate Justice Scholar-Activist

“We need more bold leaders committed to social justice who recognize how the biggest challenges facing society are linked and that the best opportunities for change are when these challenges are addressed together”

-Jennie Stephens in her book Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy (Island Press, 2020)

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Jennie C. Stephens is a feminist, scholar-activist, writer, social-justice advocate and collaborator. She is the Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy at Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs in Boston, Massachusetts, and is affiliated with Northeastern University London, the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, the department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the department of Cultures, Societies & Global Studies.

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 book Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy published by Island Press in 2020, 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.

Jennie Stephens is member of the New England Grist Fixer 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 coming to Northeastern, 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.

View and download Jennie Stephens’ CV here.

View Full CV and ORCID ID Profile

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

#EUR2043: Imagining the Futures of Our University, Design, Impact, Transition (DIT) Platform. June 6, 2023, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Queens University Belfast. June 9 2023 Register here

UAL Central Saint Martins. The Creative Laboratory: Searching and Researching Through Practice. June 23, 2023, London

Recent Publications

Fossil fuel companies' climate communication strategies: Industry messaging on renewables and natural gas  Energy Research & Social Science, 98. March 2023 with Y. Si, D. Desai, D. Bozhilova & S. Puffer.

Climate Justice in Higher Education: A Proposed Paradigm Shift Toward a Transformative Role for Colleges and Universities. Climatic Change. Feb 2023 with 6 amazing student co-authors Alaina Kinol, Elijah Miller, Hannah Axtell, Ilana Hirschfeld, Sophie Leggett, & Yutong Si.

The Fed is Out of Touch on Climate. The Hill. January 27, 2023 with A. Chatterji

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

  • 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

  • Visiting Professor, 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)