Director, Office of Communications

Jessica McBride, PhD

Dr. Jessica McBride is the Director of the Office of Communications at UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. She is responsible for developing and implementing communications and marketing strategies to highlight the College's unique research strengths, outstanding academic offerings, and extensive community impact. An alum, Jessica earned her Ph.D. from UConn in 2017.


Author Archive

(Reading child/Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Decoding Neurological Mechanisms for Compensation in Dyslexia, $3 Million NIH Grant

This work will advance theories of compensatory mechanisms in dyslexia, and ultimately may improve strategies to promote intervention models and success in both children and adults with dyslexia.

Timothy Folta, professor of management, leads a class at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford. (Peter Morenus/UConn File Photo)

Industry-Academic Program to Grow Entrepreneurial Know-How

The new program will provide aspiring entrepreneurs working as academic or industry researchers with customized training to help turn their technologies into businesses and products.

Mark Brand, professor of plant science and landscape architecture, receives patent for purple-leaf sand cherry cultivar. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Unique Shrub Hybrid Blossoms into Patent

UConn horticulturalist, Mark Brand, has produced a new hybrid of the popular purple-leaf sand cherry that maintains desirable aesthetic elements of the traditional plant while also being easier to manage and grow with minimal care.

Gerald Berkowitz, professor of plant science, will teach a new undergraduate course on cannabis horticulture, one of the first of its kind in the country. (UConn Photo)

Cannabis Course Responds to Industry Need

Plant science professor Gerry Berkowitz will offer a course on the horticulture of cannabis in the spring, to help prepare students for the burgeoning industry in medical marjuana.

Tributary to the Farmington River in Connecticut where Helton’s team will conduct research on legacy nitrogen. (Ashley Helton/UConn Photo)

Groundwater’s Role in Legacy Nitrogen Transport

By developing a robust approach to quantify legacy nitrogen in streams and rivers, Helton’s research will produce valuable insights into how nitrogen from years gone by may affect water quality today.

Riley Blumenfield, a materials science and engineering student, discovered her passion for research thanks to Research Connections, an annual networking event for students and faculty. (Carson Stifel/UConn Photo)

Making Research Connections at UConn

Riley Blumenfield, a materials science and engineering student, Honors Program STEM scholar, and president of engineering sorority Phi Sigma Rho came to UConn knowing she wanted to be involved with research, but she didn’t know where to start. After attending an annual event to expose undergrads to a host of opportunities, she not only found […]

Riley Blumenfield, a materials science and engineering student, discovered her passion for research thanks to Research Connections, an annual networking event for students and faculty. (Carson Stifel/UConn Photo)

Making Research Connections at UConn

Riley Blumenfield, a materials science and engineering student, discovered her passion for research thanks to Research Connections, an annual networking event for students and faculty.

Molecular and cell biology professor Michael Lynes with lab manager Clare Melchiorre. (Taylor Hudak '18 (CLAS, ED)/UConn Photo)

UConn, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Ink Licensing Deal for Investigational Agent for Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases

Biohaven Pharmaceuticals will commercialize UC1MT, a therapeutic antibody that could block inflammation caused by a protein called extracellular metallothionein.

Pierre Fils, a first-year graduate student on the Ph.D. track in structural engineering. (Carson Stifel/UConn Photo)

Building a Research Career at UConn

Pierre Fils, a first-year graduate student on the Ph.D. track in structural engineering, got his start in research early on by utilizing the connections available to UConn undergrads.

Pierre Fils, a first-year graduate student on the Ph.D. track in structural engineering. (Carson Stifel/UConn Photo)

Building a Research Career at UConn

Sometimes walking into a professor’s office hours can launch a student on an incredible research track. Pierre Fils, a first-year graduate student on the Ph.D. track in structural engineering at the University of Connecticut, did just that his junior year. When he went to his design of steel structures professor, Arash Zaghi’s, office, Fils was […]