We’re pleased to spotlight Jen Walker, a Practitioner Fellow at the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and a Director with the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. With a professional background spanning emergency management, climate policy, and forest ecology, Jen’s work bridges research and practice to advance more collaborative approaches to disaster risk reduction. Her research focuses on fostering relationships and shared objectives to support the co-creation of public information and policy, with an emphasis on amplifying diverse perspectives—including those of First Nations partners, different levels of government, and communities across British Columbia.
Jen Walker
Practitioner Fellow / Adjunct Faculty
School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA)
Director
BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
1. Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your current research?
My name is Jen Walker and I'm currently a Practitioner Fellow at the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA). SPPGA brings in a couple of policy experts each year to help support their Masters program students and to do research while they are visiting. In May 2026 I will return to my role as a Director in the BC Provincial Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship where I develop and implement conservation and restoration policy. I once worked in planning, response and recovery for the BC Provincial Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (when it was Emergency Management BC) and have a substantial research background in climate change and forest ecology.
The overarching goal of my current research is to help achieve biodiversity and conservation outcomes by promoting green solutions for disaster mitigation. I am specifically seeking to identify and address provincial regulatory barriers to the implementation of nature-based solutions for coastal flooding. I am also working to better understand barriers to ecological restoration in agricultural systems to help support soil health, water quality and pollinator services - in all cases realising co-benefits for nature and people.
2. What motivated you to become a part of the DRRN community?
As a past practitioner of emergency management with an ongoing interest in risk reduction and sustainability, I was inspired by the academic rigour and cross-disciplinarity of the work that the network represents. I was particularly struck by the deep dedication to human factors of disaster resilience and disaster governance expressed by DRRN members. We have many challenges to collectively contemplate - and that will require collaboration across diverse areas of expertise and experience.
3. What do you wish practitioners or policymakers would ask you about your research? What insights would you like to share with them?
Given that I am wearing both hats right now, I've had plenty of internal dialogue about this! I think that in both cases, I am less concerned about talking about my research topics and more interested in talking about how policy can help to support practice, and how practice can inform policy. I'd love it if academics in particular had more time to think about the policy process and about how to ensure their research reaches decision-makers. I'd love it if disaster practitioners were better supported by policy tools and had a clearer path to influencing them. I guess my biggest insight is to encourage folks to see this from both sides.