Our People
Meet Jane Thrasher
Reading, England, U.K.
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Dr. Jane Thrasher has been applying her scientific and geological training to deliver technical solutions for 35 years, most of those with Jacobs.
Over the last five years, she has applied these vital skills to the world of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). She draws on our global knowledge and integrated and collaborative approaches to further our understanding of this complex subject and how to address the risks they pose to human health and the environment.
“I love having a job where I can engage my curiosity to work with a team to develop solutions that make a difference to our clients and our planet.," she says.
After earning a degree in geology, a PhD in applied geochemistry and spending a brief stint in the oil industry developing novel methods for frontier petroleum exploration, Jane joined Jacobs in 1995 and has been with the company ever since.
Throughout this time, her work has been associated with land contamination; she has taken every opportunity to apply innovative thinking and does things that haven’t been done before on some interesting and unusual projects, including dams in Jordan, waste arisings in the Thames Gateway, natural attenuation of pesticides, digital innovation in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on a 50-mile pipeline and validating the remediation of a complex nuclear-licensed site.
More recently, she has become involved in the emerging field of PFAS. Jane supports clients in building knowledge, providing a greater understanding of the risks involved and, ultimately, helping to provide solutions. This has included our first-of-a-kind PFAS Risk Screening Project with the Environment Agency, where Jane led the team and for which she received Environment Analyst’s 2024 Technical Lead of the Year Award. The project combined PFAS technical know-how with the power of Geographical Information Systems to deliver a truly innovative screening tool using multicriteria analysis to apply the source-pathway-receptor model and enable national risk screening and prioritization.
“I feel privileged to have been brought up in an environment where I took it for granted that women had interesting technical jobs and could also enjoy raising their children. I’m lucky to be in a discipline where there are lots of women, and I’ve recruited many more into the business because they have been the right candidates for the roles.”
Dr. Jane Thrasher
Get to know Jane
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1995
year she started her journey with the company that’s now Jacobs
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1 K+
(1,981) feet below sea level, maximum depth reached while in a submersible in the Gulf of Mexico
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44 kb
memory on the computer her mother used to develop a robot vision system
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69 °
furthest north for a dip in the ocean (Andøya, Norway)
What motivates you in your work?
I’m passionate about PFAS. As anyone who has met me knows, I love talking about PFAS. The more I learn about them, the more interesting they become and the more I realize how little I know! Joking aside, it’s critical we talk about PFAS to raise awareness to increase voluntary cessation of use and because they can cause real issues on projects if they’re not recognized early enough in the process and properly managed.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of talking about PFAS in depth with a group of experts from around the world, considering the specific challenges of regulating PFAS in the context of contaminated sites. The outcome of this was a scientific journal opinion piece on the implications of regulating PFAS as a single class.
What’s your favorite part of the role?
Having opportunities to work with a team to find solutions and new ways of doing things that delight our clients and have them coming back for more.
Who are the inventors or innovators who inspire you?
My mother! Not long after I was born, she studied for a diploma in machine intelligence and became a pioneer in robotics and robot control languages. Despite her long career in artificial intelligence, she was also always there for us as a family.
You can see her team’s first robot (Freddy) at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I feel privileged to have been brought up in an environment where I took it for granted that women had interesting technical jobs and could also enjoy raising their children. It’s vital to me that, within Jacobs, I’ve been able to continue that theme. I enjoy being who I am, doing exciting work and leading by example to encourage others to do the same. I’m lucky to be in a discipline where there are a lot of women, and I’ve recruited many more women into the business because they are the right candidates for the roles.
What advice would you give to young professionals?
Find what you’re interested in and keep doing it. Be curious, take opportunities and run with them. If you have an inquiring mind, you can find the interesting even in what looks like a mundane task. Own your work and make sure you understand why you are doing it. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and go beyond.
If you aren’t working, what are we most likely to find you doing?
Growing things and enjoying my garden, probably in the company of at least one cat.
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Jane visiting ’Freddy,’ her mother’s historic robot at the National Museum of Scotland
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Jane relaxing on holiday in Arctic Norway
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Jane loves gardening with one of her cat helpers
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Jane receives Technical Lead of the Year at the Brownfield Awards 2024