Dr. Jennifer O’Brien (PFHEA) is Academic Lead for Sustainability Teaching and Learning at the University of Manchester, UK, and an Inaugural Fellow of the Manchester Institute of Teaching and Learning. Jen is the Education Lead for Sustainable Futures and directs the University Living Lab which links applied research needed by organisations with students who can undertake it for their assessment to effect change. Working with Education for Sustainable Development particularly through the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Jen believes that students are an undervalued force for sustainable development. A development geographer by training, Jen is interested in the intersection between innovative pedagogy and independent field or applied research aiming to inspire and equip learners to ethically address challenges of sustainability, inequality and social justice to effect positive change.
