Members of our Geography Society were treated to a fascinating talk from Dr Anna Jackman (KES 00-07) who is Associate Professor of Human Geography at the University of Reading.  Anna completed her undergraduate degree in Geography and Management, her Master's and her PhD at the University of Exeter  After a short spell working in the technology industry at Google, she moved into academia where she has been ever since.

A specialist in political geography, with a particular interest in feminist geopolitics, Anna splits her time between lecturing and her research.  Anna is particularly interested in how digital and robotic technologies impact everyday, urban and military spaces and life. Along with co-authoring a textbook (Political Geography: Approaches, Concepts, Futures) that she uses to support her 2nd Year undergraduate teaching, Anna's research focuses on how technologies such as drones impact people, built environments, and the wildlife around us.  An expert in this field, in 2019 she was appointed as a specialist adviser to the Science and Technology Committee inquiry into the 'commercial and recreational drone use in the UK'.  She also acted as an expert witness for the UK Defence Committee's inquiry into the threat of drones in the UK and has shared her research in Westminster and to the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.

Her talk was a real insight into the varying ways in which a career in academic geography can help us explain as well as influence what goes on around us, both at local, national and international scales.