CESR Seminar and Brown Bag Series
For more information on the seminar presentations, or if you would like to attend the presentation, or to meet with any of the speakers, please contact Dan Bennett or Dan Silver.
For more information on the brown bag presentations, or if you would like to attend the presentation or be added to our list for announcements, please contact Michele Warnock.
Social-Science Genetics Seminars
Sjoerd van Alten | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Thursday, January 8
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)
Abstract: Much is known about how parental resources shape the human capital of children, but far less is known about the role of parental traits and behaviors. Using unique data from the Lifelines Cohort Study linked to administrative records, we study the intergenerational effects of a random increase in parental genetic predisposition for externalizing behavior. There are three main findings. First, a stronger predisposition for externalizing behavior is a strong predictor of hostile behavior, attention deficit disorder, and substance abuse, but is less strongly related to education or income. Second, this predisposition leads to sizeable reductions in the education of the next generation. Third, these intergenerational effects cannot be explained by the genetic endowments of children. Our results thus present a unique case in which intergenerational effects on education exceed the effects on these outcomes in the first generation.
This project is joint work with Sander de Vries
Bio: Sjoerd van Alten is an economist researching the genetic and environmental determinants that shape inequalities in human capital, health, and labor market outcomes. He investigates these topics as a Postdoc Researcher at the School of Business Economics (SBE) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Additionally, some of his work focuses on the effects of selection bias in large-scale Biobanks that are widely used in medicine, epidemiology, statistical genetics, and the social sciences.
He has authored and published various papers on these topics in outlets such as Nature Communications, Nature Genetics, and Intergenerational Journal of Epidemiology. In 2024, he completed his PhD-thesis “Genetics, Human Capital Formation and the Intergenerational Transmission of Socioeconomic Status” at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Tinbergen Institute, under supervision of Titus Galama, Maarten Lindeboom, and Kevin Thom (UW-Milwaukee).
Karin Verweij | Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
Thursday, February 5
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)
Lucas Matthews | Hastings Center for Bioethics
Thursday, March 5
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)
Lauren Schmitz | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Thursday, April 2
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)
Silvia Barcellos | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Thursday, May 7
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)
Conferences
CIPHER 2026
In its eighth installment, the Current Innovations in Probability-Based Household Internet Panel Research (CIPHER) Conference expands its scope to include artificial intelligence (AI) as a new area of focus. As always, CIPHER builds on a rich legacy of methodological innovation, international collaboration, and emerging data modalities. Bringing together researchers, technologists, and policymakers, this year’s conference will explore how AI can enhance panel design, data quality, respondent engagement, and ethical governance. Join us as we chart the future of probability-based internet panels at the nexus of artificial intelligence and survey science.