Collegiate Affiliation

I am a behavioral geneticist with two primary areas of research focus. The first concerns the development of substance use disorders from adolescence to adulthood. The second concerns genetic contributions to normative aging processes and mortality. My research on substance use disorders is based primarily on a series of long-term longitudinal studies I co-direct at the Minnesota center for Twin and Family Research at the University of Minnesota. My research on aging is primarily based in Denmark, where a hold a guest professor position in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Southern Denmark. The links below provide brief descriptions of these projects.

Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS)

Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (SIBS) and Research on Adoption

Danish Studies on Aging

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • Ph.D.: Psychology, University of Minnesota, 1981

Specialties

  • behavior genetics
  • individual differences
  • quantitative psychology
  • psychological aspects of aging
  • adolescent development
  • twin studies
  • substance abuse