Professor of the Psychology of Education and Mental Health, University of Cambridge

Gordon is the inaugural Professor of the Psychology of Education and Mental Health at the University of Cambridge, having previously held appointments as the Andrew and Virginia Rudd Chair and Professor of Psychology at the University of Sussex, the Alexander McMillan Chair and Professor of Childhood Studies at the University of Otago, and Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Cardiff University. His primary research interests and activities focus on:

• examining the interplay between family relationship dynamics and child-adolescent mental health and development, including education and academic outcomes,
• understanding the interplay between genetic factors, pre-natal, post-natal environmental factors and mental health outcomes,
• promoting the development and implementation of evidence-based practice and policy guidelines and recommendations aimed at enhancing mental health outcomes for young people and that reduce the propensity for the intergenerational transmission of mental health problems and adverse family and interpersonal relationship processes.

Gordon is a member of UKRI-ESRC’s Strategic Advisory Network (SAN), a member of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Methods Advisory Group (MAG), and an advisor to multiple UK and international government departments and scientific committees.

His resarch areas include:

• Examining the role of family, school, community and individual factors underlying child and adolescent mental health and development
• Examining the interplay between genetic factors, pre-natal, post-natal environmental factors and child and adolescent mental health outcomes
• Utilising advanced statistical methods to examine longitudinal data resources specific to understanding lifespan development and mental health
• Promoting the development and implementation of evidence-based practice and policy guidelines and recommendations aimed at enhancing mental health outcomes for young people and families.