Ingrid Schoon

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Schoon serves as Chair of Social Policy at the Social Research Institute, University College London (UCL), where she leads groundbreaking research on social inequality, risk and resilience mechanisms, and educational transitions. Her work primarily utilizes longitudinal data from British cohort studies to examine how socioeconomic conditions shape developmental trajectories and how individuals navigate adversity across the life course.

Academic Background:

• PhD in Psychology, University of Leiden, Netherlands (1992)
• MA in Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

Research Focus: Schoon's scholarship centers on three critical questions: (1) How socio-economic adversity affects individual thinking, feeling, and behavior; (2) Under what circumstances individuals succeed against odds and steer their own life course; and (3) How to improve life chances of the most vulnerable. Her socio-ecological developmental systems approach has generated vital insights into social inequalities in competence development, aspirations, health outcomes, and resilience mechanisms.

Publication Trends: Recent work demonstrates intensified focus on pandemic impacts, with numerous cross-national studies examining mental health, educational disruptions, and social inequalities among youth. Her research consistently reveals how socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity intersect to shape life outcomes, particularly during critical educational transitions.

Professional Distinctions:

• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS)
• Fellow of the Social Science Centre (WZB) Berlin
• Past President (2022-2024) of the European Association for Research on Adolescence
• Past President (2020-2022) of the Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies
• Chartered Psychologist with British Psychological Society (since 1996)

Policy Engagement: Schoon actively informs policymaking as a member of the OECD 2030 Competencies Framework Working Group and UNESCO Inclusive Social Policy Lab. She has advised government departments and served on review boards including the Swiss National Centre of Excellence and German Youth Institute. Her international collaborations span multiple countries, reflecting in her multi-national pandemic impact studies.