Jessica Urwin

Her research charts a history of nuclear colonialism in South Australia from 1906 to today. Jessica’s background is in Australian history, with a particular focus on imperial, colonial and nuclear histories. These varied interests intersected in both her honours and PhD research, and remain central to her ongoing research projects.

Her work has been the recipient of various awards, including the History Council of NSW’s First Nations History Prize (2021) and Max Kelly Medal (2018), and the Australian Historical Association’s Jill Roe Prize (2021).

Jessica has tutored and lectured, as well as working as a research assistant on various ARC funded projects. She has written for several academic journals, including History Australia, Australian Historical Studies, the Australian Journal of Politics and History, Australian Studies Journal and the Australian Journal of Biography and History, as well as for public-facing publications such as The Conversation, Inside Story and the Australian Book Review.

Her areas of relevant expertise and research interest include: Australian history; extraction and mining, with particular expertise in uranium mining; nuclear testing; Aboriginal history; environmental history; protest movements and activism.