Jessica Heim is an adjunct research fellow at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ). She holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Astronomy and is currently a PhD candidate at UniSQ’s Centre for Astrophysics, where her research centers on the effects of the growing space sector on astronomy and the space environment. More broadly, her research interests focus on human relationships with both sky and land, with a particular emphasis on dark skies, as well as ethics and policy issues associated with space exploration and development. She has an interdisciplinary background in environmental studies and astronomy and strives to integrate approaches from the humanities, social sciences and physical sciences in transdisciplinary ways to better understand and find solutions to issues involving the night sky and the space environment.
Jessica is a member of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee for the Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment (COMPASSE) and co-leads the Community Engagement Hub of the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU-CPS). In addition to such work, she is passionate about engaging with the public about astronomy, dark skies and space science, inspiring people to learn, care about and participate in matters pertaining to the night sky and uses of outer space.
