Dr Jack Reed

About me

I'm a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working at the intersection of nature recovery, regional development and environmental sociology. I'm based at the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) in Penryn and also work with the Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute (LEEP) in Exeter.

My current research explores how nature recovery intersects with rural economies, emerging technologies and public policy. As part of the ESRC-funded Nature Recovery and Regional Development (NaRReD) project, I'm collaborating with councils across Britain's Leading Edge to design new approaches for tracking the social and economic impacts of nature recovery, particularly around health, wellbeing, education and place-based development. Through this work, I'm engaging with nature markets like Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and thinking critically about their implications for policy and investment.

I'm also fascinated by how artificial intelligence and digital technologies relate to nature recovery, especially where digital tools shape how we connect with the environment. My work in postdigital theory looks at how technologies mediate our relationships with nature and influence environmental meaning-making. Right now, I'm editing a book called 'Postdigital Nature Connection' with Springer, which brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on how nature, technology and society are entangled in ways that shape our sense of connection to the natural world.

Since 2021, I've published twelve peer-reviewed articles, two editorials and five book chapters. Based on journal counts, my works have been accessed by over 60,000 people and cited in more than 30 countries, with several outputs ranking in the top 5% globally for engagement.

I'm always keen to connect with others working in environmental sociology, digital youth cultures, nature markets, postdigital theory and artificial intelligence.

Selected publications

Reed, J., Wills, J., Willett, J., Treloar, G., Bateman, I., & Osborne, J. (In press). Nature recovery and regional development: An emerging agenda for England's rural-periphery and regional studies. Regional Studies. 

Reed, J., Wills, J., Willett, J., Treloar, G., Bateman, I., & Osborne, J. (2025). Rural regions and sustainable development in England: An overview of the local authorities in Britain’s Leading Edge. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/140872

Reed, J., Beames, S. K., & Macleod, G. (2025). Young people's networked constructions of nature: Evidence from a qualitative multiple case study in the United Kingdom. People and Nature, 1- 12. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10781. 

A fill list of my publications can be found through my ORCiD profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6701-6531