Laurel Raffington

Leader of the Max Planck Research Group
Biosocial – Biology, Social Disparities, and Development

Contact:
E-Mail: raffington@mpib-berlin.mpg.de

Phone: +49 30 82406-354

CV:

Since 2022: Research Group Leader MPRG Biosocial, MPI for Human Development
2019–2022: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Texas at Austin, Population Research Center
2018–2019: Postdoctoral researcher, MPI for Human Development, Center for Lifespan Psychology
2013-2018: Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, MPI for Human Development
2011–2013: MSc in Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Psychology
2007-2010: BSc in Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, School of Psychological Science

Research Interests:

Dr. Laurel Raffington’s research spans the fields of developmental psychology, public health, and genomics. Her research seeks to understand how systems of social inequality and genetically-influenced differences between people combine to shape differential outcomes of education, health, and well-being across the lifespan and across generations. The goal of Dr. Raffington‘s work is to reduce the effects of social inequality on child and adolescent well-being by identifying environmental factors that promote more equitable outcomes. Her current work follows three research streams:

1. Analysis of longitudinal cohort studies and randomized trials to examine molecular pathways to social disparities in child and adolescent physical and psychological health and performance on cognitive tasks.
2. Analysis of gene-environment interplay to identify environmental factors that can be modified to increase child well-being.
3. Integrating genetic research into developmental science in an anti-racist framework.

Selected Literature:

• Raffington, L. (2024). Utilizing epigenetics to study the shared nature of development and biological aging across the lifespan. npj Science of Learning, 9, Article 24. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-024-00239-5
• Aikins, M. A. N., Willems, Y. E., Fraemke, D., & Raffington, L. (2024). Beyond a shared history: A biosocial perspective on sociogenomics and racism in Germany. Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11577-024-00934-6
• Raffington, L., Schneper, L., Mallard, T., Fisher, J., Vinnik, L., Hollis-Hansen, K., Notterman, D. A., Tucker-Drob, E. M., Mitchell, C., & Harden, K. P. (2023). Salivary epigenetic measures of body mass index and social determinants of health across childhood and adolescence. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(10), 1047–1054. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3017
• Raffington, L., Tanksley, P. T., Sabhlok, A., Vinnik, L., Mallard, T., King, L. S., Goosby, B., Harden, K. P., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2023). Socially stratified epigenetic profiles are associated with cognitive functioning in children and adolescents. Psychological Science, 34(2), 170–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221122760
• Raffington, L., Belsky, D. W., Kothari, M., Malanchini, M., Tucker-Drob, E. M., & Harden, K. P. (2021). Socioeconomic disadvantage and the pace of biological aging in children. Pediatrics, 147(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-024406
• Raffington, L., Mallard, T., & Harden, P. K. (2020). Polygenic scores in developmental psychology: Invite genetics in, leave biodeterminism behind. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 389-411. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-051820-123945