I took a degree in Pathobiology at the University of Reading (1979-1982) to go into medical research. My MSc at Oxford broadened my interests into biological anthropology. I worked in a cancer epidemiology group, as well as teaching at what is now Oxford Brookes University before I joined the Department of Experimental Psychology in Cambridge. This period of research led me into the areas of cognitive development and associated school attainment. Following my doctorate (1989 to 1997) I worked at the Winnicott Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge from 1994-1997, on a study into the efficacy of short-term, home-based counselling support for first time mothers. It also looked at the impact of maternal post-natal depression on the development of children. At the same time I worked with researchers from the Park Hospital for Sick Children in Oxford on a study into the experiences of young people with Down's Syndrome. After the relocation of the Winnicott Research Unit I initiated and worked in conjunction with the Cambridge Mediation Service (formerly The Cambridge Family and Divorce Centre) on a project to evaluate school-based counselling support for children who had experienced parental separation or divorce (1998 to 2000). This project was funded by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and resulted in a report designed for dissemination to relevant practitioners. In April 2000 I joined the Centre for Family Research, to work with Martin Richards on a qualitative, interview-based study investigating connections between concepts of family and kinship and those of inheritance and genetics in young people (students and young parents.) This project was entitled 'Understanding inheritance: kinship connections and genetics' and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. This is an ongoing area of my interest in concepts of family and their wider practical implications. Since November 2004 I have been part of a research team investigating the predictors of success in the transition to school, led by principal researcher Claire Hughes. I have co-ordinated and participated in school research visits. This has involved psychometric assessments with children and interviewing of school staff. I have also visited and interviewed family members at home.