Jessica Hebert IF

Dr. Jessica Hebert found her love for music early in childhood when she began piano lessons and discovered a penchant for singing Whitney Houston songs into her hairbrush. She had no idea that one day, those silly songs she made up about horses and monkey butts to keep her little sister entertained would lead to her becoming a filk music performer and fan. Dr. Jess, as she is known to fans of her band, is a singer/songwriter and the keyboardist for The PDX Broadsides, a nerdy-pop trio based in Portland, Oregon (aka PDX). They make songs about fandoms and feelings, and are honored to have been thrice nominated for Pegasus Awards.

When not making more music, these days about space, science, and Nathan Fillion's bum (some things never change), Dr. Jess is a reproductive research scientist at Oregon Health & Science University. She earned her PhD in Biology in 2018 at Portland State University studying placental function and long-term health effects following preeclampsia, and is currently piloting a new project on the impact of acute kidney injury on fertility, pregnancy, and fetal outcomes. Beyond the bench, Dr. Jess is an award-winning science communicator, presenting at conferences and conventions around the world. She also slings a shanty or two with piratical performance group PDXYAR. Dr. Jess lives in Portland with her fabulous and very tall husband Royal and their muppety dogs Lucy and Bucky. You can find her yelling at the internet about science, music, and a million other things on Twitter: she's @Dame_DNA.