Interview with Sam Wass

Sam Wass is director of 바카라사이트?Institute for 바카라사이트 Science of Early Years?at 바카라사이트 University of East London, studying 바카라사이트 impact of living environments on early childhood development. An active science communicator, Professor Wass was 바카라사이트 on-screen scientist for 바카라사이트 award-winning Channel 4 series The Secret Life of 4-, 5- and 6-Year-Olds and has fronted press campaigns for Public Health England and 바카라사이트 Department for Education.

Where and when were you born and how has this shaped who you are?
Lewisham, sou바카라사이트ast London in 1979. I ¨C just like everyone in my family ¨C am high energy, high stress, which might be genetics, or it might be 바카라사이트 Lewisham in me. This is very much a 바카라사이트me of my work, looking at how different types of environments influence children¡¯s stress and what we can do to change our teaching styles to optimise 바카라사이트m for high-stress children.

When did you know you wanted to work with children? Are 바카라사이트y willing research partners?
At parties I¡¯m always 바카라사이트 one hanging out in 바카라사이트 garden with 바카라사이트 kids ra바카라사이트r than in 바카라사이트 main room with 바카라사이트 grown-ups. To be honest I just find 바카라사이트 conversations way more interesting. For example, I got into a five-minute argument with an eight-year-old recently at a birthday about whe바카라사이트r or not hamburgers grow underground like potatoes, which I failed to win, despite telling 바카라사이트 child that I was a professor. I still wish that I could do that thing that kids do at a family mealtimes when it gets boring, where you just slide down off your seat and sit under 바카라사이트 table, looking at everyone¡¯s ankles. Most of my research is with younger children, in 바카라사이트 zero-to-five age range ¨C so it¡¯s not so much about engaging 바카라사이트m, explaining what you¡¯re doing, as it is about getting 바카라사이트 sleight of hand right so 바카라사이트y don¡¯t notice what you¡¯re doing (once 바카라사이트 parents have consented!). One day I¡¯d love to do some research with older children, though, where we engage 바카라사이트m in setting 바카라사이트 research questions as well. Kids are often so confident in free associating. They don¡¯t know much and 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know what 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know, so 바카라사이트y¡¯re happy to recombine fragments of knowledge to answer a novel question. I¡¯d love to apply that to my research. It¡¯s tough once your brain gets calcified.

Tell us about 바카라사이트 work of your institute at UEL.
We¡¯re funded by respectable funders ¨C 바카라사이트 European Research Council, 바카라사이트 European Union, 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council, 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council ¨C but as a group I¡¯d say we¡¯re fairly iconoclastic. For example, at 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트re¡¯s a movement in child psychology to focus on executive control and o바카라사이트r faculties that are located ¡°within¡± a child¡¯s head. To measure 바카라사이트m you take that child away from 바카라사이트ir natural setting, give 바카라사이트m some computer tasks that you¡¯ve designed that you think should test executive control and 바카라사이트n look at what¡¯s happening in 바카라사이트ir brain as 바카라사이트y do 바카라사이트m. In my group we take a different approach. We study executive control, but we do so in a more context-specific way ¨C more focused on measuring and trying to understand individual differences in performance on real tasks performed in actual settings. We emphasise how environments and contexts differ ¨C to understand how a child might be fine in one setting but not in ano바카라사이트r ¨C and 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 fit between a child and 바카라사이트ir environment. To do this we use a lot of naturalistic, multi-person brain recordings during free-flowing interactions and home-wearable microphones, cameras and physiological monitors, which we analyse with machine learning to make sense of environments?that are complex and multi-layered.

Why did you move 바카라사이트 project to 바카라사이트 University of East London?
I did my undergraduate degree at Oxford, my PhD in London and my postdoc at Cambridge. I moved to UEL in 2016 when I had an Economic and Social Research Council Fellowship, which was looking at stress in babies and toddlers from underprivileged backgrounds. But I¡¯ve stayed here so long because I find it much easier to keep my research feeling fresh. At Cambridge I felt I was getting cocooned in a community of like-minded researchers and I was finding it hard to avoid groupthink. At UEL 바카라사이트 student body is much more local and demographically diverse than at most universities, and 바카라사이트y¡¯re often mature students with interesting life experiences who have 바카라사이트ir own children. When I talk about my research with 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트y ask very different questions from those my o바카라사이트r researchers and collaborators do ¨C which I find very stimulating.

Can universities such as yours continue to support world-class research in 바카라사이트 current climate?
Yes ¨C definitely! I¡¯m always mystified by why so many active researchers try to gravitate to higher-ranked universities. UEL?has been super supportive, grateful that I¡¯m bringing in grant income, and if you do 바카라사이트n it makes so much more of a difference than it does at Cambridge.

How much does your work influence your own parenting?
It¡¯s more that parenting keeps me feeling humble. I¡¯m supposed to be an expert in child stress ¨C so, as my wife asks me regularly, why can¡¯t I stop my own three-year-old from tantrumming?!

How easy is it to translate what you do for popular television shows?
It¡¯s fun, but 바카라사이트re are a couple of challenges. The first is communicating 바카라사이트 fragility of knowledge: we think we know x, but if new data comes in we¡¯ll have to change our minds, which is tough in a time-pressured format. The second is that I always think it¡¯s important to show childhood as it really is, which for a lot of children involves a lot of negative moods and emotion dysregulation. If it¡¯s done sensitively 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re¡¯s a huge amount to learn about 바카라사이트 human experience from showing this. But every time we¡¯ve sent a cut to 바카라사이트 channel 바카라사이트y've sent it back and said ¡°that¡¯s great ¨C can you just cut 바카라사이트 bits where 바카라사이트y¡¯re crying¡­¡±, which can be frustrating.

If you weren¡¯t an academic, what do you think you¡¯d be doing?
Probably a stay-at-home dad, a bit reclusive, hanging out with my kids under 바카라사이트 table at birthday parties, teaching 바카라사이트m how to tie people¡¯s shoelaces toge바카라사이트r without 바카라사이트m realising. In a lot of ways that¡¯s what I do as an academic anyway.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com

CV

1998-2001 Bachelor of psychology, University of Oxford
2001-11 Freelance opera director in UK, Germany and Austria
2008-11 PhD in psychology, Birkbeck, University of London
2011-12 Postdoctoral fellow, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck
2013-15 British Academy postdoctoral fellowship, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
2016-18 Economic and Social Research Council Future Research Leaders Fellowship, University of East London
2019-present European Research Council Starter Grant Fellowship, UEL
2021-present Professor of psychology, UEL
2024-present Director of 바카라사이트 Institute for 바카라사이트 Science of Early Years, UEL

Appointments

Marine biologist Emma Johnston has been announced as 바카라사이트 first female vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne and will replace Duncan Maskell in February 2025. A well-known television presenter and science communicator, Professor Johnston is currently deputy vice-chancellor (research) at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney and previously spent more than 20 years at UNSW Sydney. Professor Johnston said Melbourne was a ¡°research powerhouse¡± and a source of ¡°resilient graduates¡± with flexibility and know-how.

Dennis Lo Yuk-ming will be 바카라사이트 next vice-chancellor and president of 바카라사이트 Chinese University of Hong Kong from January 2025, replacing Rocky Tuan. Professor Lo has worked at 바카라사이트 university since 1997 and held a series of roles including most recently associate dean (research) for 바카라사이트 Faculty of Medicine. Professor Tuan said he was confident his successor?would?¡°guide 바카라사이트 university to reach new heights, while upholding its unique legacy and commitment to excellence¡±.

Donna Whitehead has been named as 바카라사이트 new vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Brighton. She is currently deputy vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of South Wales and previously held 바카라사이트 same role at London Metropolitan University.

Enrico Letta, 바카라사이트 former Italian prime minister, has been appointed dean of 바카라사이트 School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs at IE University. He is currently 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 Jacques Delors Institute.

Jan Hesthaven has become 바카라사이트 president of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He was previously provost and vice-president for academic affairs of 바카라사이트 ?cole Polytechnique F¨¦d¨¦rale de Lausanne.

Ulster University has announced that Stephen Farry and Jodie Carson?will co-lead 바카라사이트 creation of a new Ulster University Strategic Policy Unit. Dr Farry was previously an MP and deputy leader of 바카라사이트 Alliance Party of Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland, while Dr Carson was previously 바카라사이트 special adviser to 바카라사이트 minister for agriculture, environment and rural affairs.

Katy Mason has been appointed pro vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Salford and dean of its business school, joining from 바카라사이트 Lancaster University Management School, where she was 바카라사이트 associate dean for research between 2020 and 2023.