Joanne Morris
Research Associate

Profile

Biography

I use creative approaches such as storytelling and gaming to facilitate collaborative dialogue at the intersection where environmental knowledge meets human experience. Rooted in environmental studies, sustainability science and social learning, my work is dedicated to ensuring that scientific findings drive real-world understanding and inclusive action.

The heart of my research is facilitating meaningful dialogue. I see models and quantitative data as starting points - catalysts for robust conversations and collaborative action that bring scientists, practitioners, and local communities together. The goal is to co-create knowledge and systems that are useful and reflective of the multiple functions and values at play in real-life contexts.

I investigate how creative and engaging methods such as storytelling, serious gaming, and art can enhance learning, foster deeper connection with nature, and lead to more inclusive planning.

I have applied these methods across diverse contexts, from sustainable resource management solutions in West and East African agriculture to the everyday social and cultural values of nature in UK urban environments.

I am also SEI York's Environment Policy Officer and Sustainability Champion and welcome any students interested in gathering data on sustainability of the research environment itself, to inform guidance on lean office and lab working practices.

Research

Overview

Selected project highlights include:

• Designing and facilitating citizen panels for the Branching Out project, where storytelling was found to be a powerful method - alongside the IPBES Life Framework - to elicit the social and cultural values of urban trees, allowing their multiple values to be integrated with biophysical data.
• Translating Branching Out research in a YESI Discipline Hopping Fellowship, and further exploring gamification, by prototyping a board game focused on transforming urban treescapes.
• Creating a game-like activity for the ResLeSS project in West and East Africa to help livestock stakeholders engage with a complex model, fostering a neutral space for discussing hypothetical scenarios and negotiating conflicts over resources.

Publications

Selected publications

• Morris, J., Ensor, J. E., Pfeifer, C., Marchant, R., Mulatu, D. W., Soka, G., Ouédraogo-Koné, S., Wakeyo, M. B., & Topi, C. (2020). Games as boundary objects: Charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 0(0), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1738769.
• Pfeifer, C., Morris, J., Ensor, J., Ouédraogo-Koné, S., Mulatu, D. W., & Wakeyo, M. (2020). Designing sustainable pathways for the livestock sector: The example of Atsbi, Ethiopia and Bama, Burkina Faso. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 0(0), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1824419. 
  
  
• Chávez, V. A., Brown, N., van den Bosch, F., Parnell, S., Dyke, A., Hall, C., Karlsdottir, B., Marzano, M., Morris, J., O'Brien, L., Williams, D., & Milne, A. E. (2025). Early detection strategies for invading tree pests: targeted surveillance and stakeholder perspectives. Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70009.

External activities

Overview

I am also interested in the sustainability of the research environment itself. This includes questions around quantifying the impact of daily office actions, tracking Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions (especially concerning online working, IT use, and procurement), and developing best practices for a sustainable office. I serve as the York centre’s Environment Policy Officer for SEI and SEI York Sustainability Champion for the University of York, reporting annually on our environmental impact and leading the enthusiastic SEI York Green Impact Team. I welcome students to explore research projects aligned with these areas.