Jennifer Symonds

Jennifer Symonds is Professor of Educational and Developmental Psychology at UCL’s Social Research Institute. Her research examines how school experiences influence wellbeing and engagement from childhood through adulthood, drawing on psychology, sociology, anthropology, and data science.

She directs CLOSER, the UK’s national centre for advancing longitudinal population studies, and is Infrastructure Co-Chair of Population Research UK.

She has previously led major international studies, including Growing Up in Digital Europe (GUIDE), Children’s School Lives in Ireland, and a randomised controlled trial on wellbeing and literacy in Sierra Leone. Jennifer serves on the editorial boards of leading journals, and is a scientific advisor for organisations internationally that specialise in child and adolescent wellbeing, education, and data sciences.