I am a Professor of Human Development and Social Policy at University College London, Institute of Education (UK) and Research Director of the Department of Social Science which houses the British Cohort Studies. I am a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and member of the scientific advisory board for the ‘Growing up in Ireland’ Longitudinal Study; the Swiss Longitudinal Study on ‘Transition from Education to Employment)´(TREE); the German Family Panel PAIRFAM (“Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics”); and 'Growing up in Germany' (AID:A) coordinated by the German Youth Institute (DJI). I am currently President of the Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies. My research focuses on the study of risk and resilience, in particular during the transition from dependent childhood to independent adulthood, asking 1) to what extent and how do social conditions, in particular socio-economic adversity, affect individual thinking, feeling and behaviour; 2) to what extent and in what circumstances can individuals succeed against the odds and steer their own life course?; and 3) what can be done to improve the life chances of the most vulnerable? My research is guided by a socio-ecological developmental approach, mapping human development over time and in context using longitudinal data. Several ongoing projects take a cross national perspective to explore the policy contexts that shape variations in development. One example is a recent study on young people’s experiences in the Great Recession, which involved collaboration with colleagues in the UK, Germany and the US, including John Bynner, Walter Heinz and Glen Elder, resulting in a co-edited book on ' Young People’s Development and the Great Recession: Uncertain Transitions and Precarious Futures' (2017) published by Cambridge University Press. Other publications, in addition to over 100 peer reviewed journal articles, include a monograph on 'Risk and Resilience' (2006), co-edited books on 'Transitions from School to Work: Globalisation, Individualisation, and Patterns of Diversity (2009) with Rainer K. Silbereisen, and ' Gender differences in aspirations and attainment: A longitudinal perspective' (2014) with Jacquelynne Eccles, all published by Cambridge University Press, and a book on 'Pathways to Adulthood: Educational Opportunities, Individual Motivation and Attainment in Times of Social Change' (2017) with Rainer K. Silbereisen.