Jennifer completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology & Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin and Masters in Social Psychology at the LSE. She then joined the UK civil service as a social psychologist, applying behavioural insights to the understanding of conflict and terrorism, rising to the role of Senior Strategic Analyst. Jennifer moved to the US to complete her PhD in Psychology at Harvard University, where she was also a Fellow at the Multidisciplinary Programme in Inequality & Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Edmond J. Safra Centre for Ethics. Having completed postdoctoral work at the University of Oslo and Brunel University (where she was a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow), Jennifer joined the LSE as an Assistant Professor in January 2016.

Jennifer has conducted survey and experimental research on the psychology of intergroup relations from the perspective of social dominance theory, publishing in outlets such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Her research currently investigates the psychological impact of experiencing of low socioeconomic status at times of rising inequality. This project brings together insights from behavioural economics, social psychology and evolutionary psychology to develop a theoretical model of decision-making under socioeconomic threat. Jennifer is also elaborating on the implications of her work for poverty alleviation in domestic and international domains, working with the United Nations Development Programme, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and the Tobin Project, among others.