Robert Plomin

Robert Plomin

American psychologist and geneticist

Robert Plomin (born February 20, 1948) is an American-British psychologist and geneticist best known for his research in behavioral genetics and the genetic basis of cognitive abilities, personality, and mental health. Since 1994, he has been a Research Professor at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (SGDP), a department in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Plomin (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Feb 20, 1948.1

About

Plomin is widely recognized as an influential figure in behavioral science, particularly for his leadership in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) and for advancing the use of molecular genetics in psychology. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Plomin as the 71st most cited psychologist of the 20th century. He is the author of several books on genetics and psychology.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Plomin, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedUniversity of Texas at Austin3
  • Date not recordedDePaul University3

Plomin was born in Chicago to a family of Polish-German extraction. In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, he recalled being suspended temporarily from elementary school for arguing about evolution with a teacher, an experience he said pushed him toward a scientific worldview and away from religion.

He graduated high school from DePaul University Academy in Chicago, he then earned a B.A. in psychology from DePaul University in 1970 and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1974 from the University of Texas at Austin under personality psychologist Arnold H. Buss.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Plomin (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: behavior geneticist, psychologist, geneticist.9

Plomin began his academic career at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was a faculty member at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics and in the Department of Psychology from 1974 to 1986.

From 1986 to 1994, Plomin served as Professor of Human Development at Pennsylvania State University, where he directed the Center for Developmental and Health Genetics and participated in the Intercollege Graduate Program in Genetics. In 1994, he was named an Evan Pugh Professor, the highest honor given to faculty at Penn State.

In 1994, Plomin relocated to the United Kingdom and joined King’s College London as an MRC Research Professor in Behavioral Genetics. He founded the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (SGDP) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. He served as Deputy Director (1994–2007), Director (2007–2010), and again as Deputy Director (2010–2020) of the Centre.

At King’s College, Plomin led the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), a longitudinal project following over 15,000 pairs of twins born in the UK between 1994 and 1996. TEDS has been funded for a record 30 years by the UK Medical Research Council.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Plomin (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornFeb 20, 1948, Chicago10
  • CitizenshipUnited States11
  • SpouseJudith Dunn12

In 1987 Plomin married Judith Dunn, a British psychologist and academic.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Plomin (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

  • 2021Grawemeyer Awards13 17
  • 2017APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology13 16
  • 2004William James Fellow Award13 15
  • 2002Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences13 14
  • Date not recordedCommander of the Order of the British Empire13
  • Date not recordedFellow of the British Academy13

Sources

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