Sjoerd van Alten
@sjoerdalten.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Fellow Economics at VU Amsterdam. Interested in education/health, and its intersection with behavioral genetics
Find out about my work: https://sites.google.com/view/sjoerd-van-alten
Find out about my work: https://sites.google.com/view/sjoerd-van-alten
Check out our new study in Nature Genetics! In this paper we study the genetic factors that are associated with field of study.
1/ 🚨New paper in Nature Genetics
Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering.
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering.
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
Genetic associations with educational fields - Nature Genetics
Genome-wide analyses of 10 educational fields identify 17 associated loci. Analysis of genetic clustering across specializations identifies two key dimensions that show genetic overlap with personalit...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Check out our new study in Nature Genetics! In this paper we study the genetic factors that are associated with field of study.
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
We have an open postdoc position in Social Science Genomics in Berlin!
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Postdoctoral Position in Social Science Genomics | Max Planck Research Group Biosocial
www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de
October 28, 2025 at 2:22 PM
We have an open postdoc position in Social Science Genomics in Berlin!
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Proud to share our new @nber working paper on how genetics shape the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status in the Netherlands. 🧵(1/8)
www.nber.org/papers/w34208
www.nber.org/papers/w34208
A Chip Off the Old Block? Genetics and the Intergenerational Transmission of Socioeconomic Status
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
September 15, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Proud to share our new @nber working paper on how genetics shape the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status in the Netherlands. 🧵(1/8)
www.nber.org/papers/w34208
www.nber.org/papers/w34208
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Genetics play a role on the persistence of socioeconomic across generations: one generation's genetics significantly impacts the education, income, and wealth of the next, from Sjoerd van Alten, Silvia H. Barcellos, Leandro Carvalho, Titus J. Galama, and Marina ... https://www.nber.org/papers/w34208
September 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Genetics play a role on the persistence of socioeconomic across generations: one generation's genetics significantly impacts the education, income, and wealth of the next, from Sjoerd van Alten, Silvia H. Barcellos, Leandro Carvalho, Titus J. Galama, and Marina ... https://www.nber.org/papers/w34208
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Call for abstracts: genetics, economic & social issues.
We're hosting a 1-day workshop on using genetic data to examine economic & social issues on 12th December at UCL’s Social Research Institute. More info & submission at link below #genetics #socialscience #economics #cohort
bit.ly/41EnPmu
We're hosting a 1-day workshop on using genetic data to examine economic & social issues on 12th December at UCL’s Social Research Institute. More info & submission at link below #genetics #socialscience #economics #cohort
bit.ly/41EnPmu
Microsoft Forms
bit.ly
August 13, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Call for abstracts: genetics, economic & social issues.
We're hosting a 1-day workshop on using genetic data to examine economic & social issues on 12th December at UCL’s Social Research Institute. More info & submission at link below #genetics #socialscience #economics #cohort
bit.ly/41EnPmu
We're hosting a 1-day workshop on using genetic data to examine economic & social issues on 12th December at UCL’s Social Research Institute. More info & submission at link below #genetics #socialscience #economics #cohort
bit.ly/41EnPmu
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Extremely excited to share the first effort of the Revived Genomics of Personality Consortium: A highly-powered, comprehensive GWAS of the Big Five personality traits in 1.14 million participants from 46 cohorts. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 20, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Extremely excited to share the first effort of the Revived Genomics of Personality Consortium: A highly-powered, comprehensive GWAS of the Big Five personality traits in 1.14 million participants from 46 cohorts. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
📣 I’m delighted to share a new working paper that’s been years in the making:
🧬 “ #Gene × #Environment Interactions: Polygenic Scores and the Impact of an Early Childhood Intervention in Colombia”
👉🏻 Available here as @hceconomics.bsky.social WP: humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wp...
🧬 “ #Gene × #Environment Interactions: Polygenic Scores and the Impact of an Early Childhood Intervention in Colombia”
👉🏻 Available here as @hceconomics.bsky.social WP: humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wp...
May 10, 2025 at 7:13 PM
📣 I’m delighted to share a new working paper that’s been years in the making:
🧬 “ #Gene × #Environment Interactions: Polygenic Scores and the Impact of an Early Childhood Intervention in Colombia”
👉🏻 Available here as @hceconomics.bsky.social WP: humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wp...
🧬 “ #Gene × #Environment Interactions: Polygenic Scores and the Impact of an Early Childhood Intervention in Colombia”
👉🏻 Available here as @hceconomics.bsky.social WP: humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wp...
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
I am recruiting a quantitative/computational postdoc to my group at UCLA. This is a great opportunity to work on foundational theory, methods, and software in statistical genetics. Link to apply: recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10275. Please repost!
April 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I am recruiting a quantitative/computational postdoc to my group at UCLA. This is a great opportunity to work on foundational theory, methods, and software in statistical genetics. Link to apply: recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10275. Please repost!
So happy to finally see this paper out in @natcomms.nature.com. rdcu.be/ehQsd “Correcting for volunteer bias in GWAS increases SNP effect sizes and heritability estimates”. A thread on our findings!
Correcting for volunteer bias in GWAS increases SNP effect sizes and heritability estimates
Nature Communications - Genetic studies may be biased due to volunteer-based biobanks. Using UK Biobank, the authors apply inverse probability weighting based on UK Census data, finding that...
rdcu.be
April 16, 2025 at 8:04 AM
So happy to finally see this paper out in @natcomms.nature.com. rdcu.be/ehQsd “Correcting for volunteer bias in GWAS increases SNP effect sizes and heritability estimates”. A thread on our findings!
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Our study is now out in @naturecomms.bsky.social! Here, we integrate large-scale registry musicality data from twins to investigate the genetics of music enjoyment 🧬🎶🧑🤝🧑
“What an odd thing“ wrote Oliver Sacks “to see an entire species playing with listening to meaningless tonal patterns, preoccupied for much of their time by what they call ‘music’...“. Our new paper, led by ace student @giacomobignardi.bsky.social, unpacks this puzzle from a genetic perspective. 🧪
Twin modelling reveals partly distinct genetic pathways to music enjoyment - Nature Communications
Here, Bignardi et al. report on a study of over 9,000 Swedish twins that indicates the ability to enjoy music is influenced by multiple partly distinct genetic factors.
www.nature.com
March 26, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Our study is now out in @naturecomms.bsky.social! Here, we integrate large-scale registry musicality data from twins to investigate the genetics of music enjoyment 🧬🎶🧑🤝🧑
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
We are looking for a scientist passionate about developmental psychology, sociogenomics, and DNA methylation in a cash gift RCT postdocprogram.mpg.de/node/692! 3.5+ yr position in Berlin (until April 30, 2029) integrated into a new Max Planck postdoc program www.mpg.de/en/max-planc... #MPRGBiosocial
Postdoc position | Max Planck Postdoc Program
postdocprogram.mpg.de
March 21, 2025 at 10:33 AM
We are looking for a scientist passionate about developmental psychology, sociogenomics, and DNA methylation in a cash gift RCT postdocprogram.mpg.de/node/692! 3.5+ yr position in Berlin (until April 30, 2029) integrated into a new Max Planck postdoc program www.mpg.de/en/max-planc... #MPRGBiosocial
I encourage all interested in Social Science Genetics to apply for this Gordon Research Conference "Leveraging Genetic Analysis Tools to Understand Wealth, Education, and Social Inequality". A great lineup of speakers and plenty space for discussion. June 1-6 near Boston www.grc.org/genes-behavi...
2025 Genes, Behavior and Society Conference GRC
The 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Genes, Behavior and Society will be held in Easton, Massachusetts. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
March 17, 2025 at 9:50 AM
I encourage all interested in Social Science Genetics to apply for this Gordon Research Conference "Leveraging Genetic Analysis Tools to Understand Wealth, Education, and Social Inequality". A great lineup of speakers and plenty space for discussion. June 1-6 near Boston www.grc.org/genes-behavi...
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Mike spotted this before the rest of us. 🫡
Publications from 2025 are shared more on Bluesky than on X/Twitter.
Publications from 2025 are shared more on Bluesky than on X/Twitter.
About to talk to medical affairs colleagues, with the news that Bluesky is carrying more posts about new journal publications than X #bluesky #altmetrics #x #xparrot
March 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Mike spotted this before the rest of us. 🫡
Publications from 2025 are shared more on Bluesky than on X/Twitter.
Publications from 2025 are shared more on Bluesky than on X/Twitter.
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
If one person gives a euro to Ukraine, the result is €1.
If two people give 2 each, it is €4.
If 3,000 give 3,000 each, it is 9 million.
Let’s coordinate, here 👇
and please re-post to spread the word.
yourcontributionsquared.eu/en/
If two people give 2 each, it is €4.
If 3,000 give 3,000 each, it is 9 million.
Let’s coordinate, here 👇
and please re-post to spread the word.
yourcontributionsquared.eu/en/
Your Contribution Squared
yourcontributionsquared.eu
March 3, 2025 at 10:22 AM
If one person gives a euro to Ukraine, the result is €1.
If two people give 2 each, it is €4.
If 3,000 give 3,000 each, it is 9 million.
Let’s coordinate, here 👇
and please re-post to spread the word.
yourcontributionsquared.eu/en/
If two people give 2 each, it is €4.
If 3,000 give 3,000 each, it is 9 million.
Let’s coordinate, here 👇
and please re-post to spread the word.
yourcontributionsquared.eu/en/
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
We streamlined six new DID-like estimators and created this tutorial for implementation in R.
yiqingxu.org/packages/fec...
Hope you no longer need to spend months figuring out what these estimators are and how to use them.
yiqingxu.org/packages/fec...
Hope you no longer need to spend months figuring out what these estimators are and how to use them.
February 21, 2025 at 4:41 AM
We streamlined six new DID-like estimators and created this tutorial for implementation in R.
yiqingxu.org/packages/fec...
Hope you no longer need to spend months figuring out what these estimators are and how to use them.
yiqingxu.org/packages/fec...
Hope you no longer need to spend months figuring out what these estimators are and how to use them.
I am very excited to share this latest preprint! We figured out how to study a latent index driving partner choice without measuring it directly. The genetic correlates that we uncover with this latent index can be used to study the process of partner choice and correct GWAS for assortative mating.
Genetic basis of partner choice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.03.636375v1
February 16, 2025 at 8:07 PM
I am very excited to share this latest preprint! We figured out how to study a latent index driving partner choice without measuring it directly. The genetic correlates that we uncover with this latent index can be used to study the process of partner choice and correct GWAS for assortative mating.
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Genetic basis of partner choice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.03.636375v1
February 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Genetic basis of partner choice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.03.636375v1
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
"the company’s elevated stock price becomes increasingly dependent on the belief that Musk the magician can deliver wildly creative new products. That image is fading." @davidzipper.bsky.social why boycotting Telsa could make Elon hurt
Don’t Buy a Tesla. Sell Your Tesla. Refuse a Tesla at the Rental Counter. Yes—It Will Help.
Elon Musk’s car company is in a precarious spot.
slate.com
February 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"the company’s elevated stock price becomes increasingly dependent on the belief that Musk the magician can deliver wildly creative new products. That image is fading." @davidzipper.bsky.social why boycotting Telsa could make Elon hurt
Yesterday, I succesfully defended my PhD-dissertation: Genetics, Human Capital Formation, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Socioeconomic Status, cum laude at @vuamsterdam.bsky.social. I look back with gratitude to all that I learned, and look forward to the new knowledge that lies ahead.
January 16, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Yesterday, I succesfully defended my PhD-dissertation: Genetics, Human Capital Formation, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Socioeconomic Status, cum laude at @vuamsterdam.bsky.social. I look back with gratitude to all that I learned, and look forward to the new knowledge that lies ahead.
I cannot remember the last time I have been more enthusiastic about a working paper. Access to housing through lottery allocation dramatically boosts fertility outcomes in Brazil. Among 20-24 year olds, total lifetime fertility doubles after receiving housing.
www.bcb.gov.br/content/publ...
www.bcb.gov.br/content/publ...
January 9, 2025 at 9:56 AM
I cannot remember the last time I have been more enthusiastic about a working paper. Access to housing through lottery allocation dramatically boosts fertility outcomes in Brazil. Among 20-24 year olds, total lifetime fertility doubles after receiving housing.
www.bcb.gov.br/content/publ...
www.bcb.gov.br/content/publ...
Ik sprak gisteren met NRC over mijn proefschriftonderzoek over welke rol genen spelen in socio-economische ongelijkheid. Erg leuk, maar wel erg moeilijk om zo'n complex onderwerp in zo'n kort stukje samen te vatten. (1/2)
Kinderen van welvarende ouders zijn zelf vaak ook welvarend. Komt dat door de genen of door de omgeving? Dat is een vals onderscheid, zegt econoom Sjoerd van Alten.
https://buff.ly/4fHfoLG
https://buff.ly/4fHfoLG
Ongelijkheid zit in onze genen, zegt deze econoom
Genen en welvaart: Kinderen van welvarende ouders zijn zelf vaak ook welvarend. Komt dat door de genen of door de omgeving? Dat is een vals onderscheid, zegt econoom Sjoerd van Alten.
buff.ly
January 3, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Ik sprak gisteren met NRC over mijn proefschriftonderzoek over welke rol genen spelen in socio-economische ongelijkheid. Erg leuk, maar wel erg moeilijk om zo'n complex onderwerp in zo'n kort stukje samen te vatten. (1/2)
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
🔊Next conference of the European Social Science Genetics Network (ESSGN) in Bristol, 22-23 May.
✅Keynote by @michellemeyer.bsky.social
✅Panel on the current frontier of MR w/ George Davey-Smith (Bristol), Dalton Conley (Princeton), and Alice Carter (Novo-Nordisk).
essgn.org/essgn-confer...
✅Keynote by @michellemeyer.bsky.social
✅Panel on the current frontier of MR w/ George Davey-Smith (Bristol), Dalton Conley (Princeton), and Alice Carter (Novo-Nordisk).
essgn.org/essgn-confer...
ESSGN Conference IV
Bristol, May 22-23, 2025 CALL FOR PAPERS We are pleased to announce the 4th conference of the European Social Science Genetics Network. This conference aims to improve our understanding of how gene…
essgn.org
November 28, 2024 at 4:13 PM
🔊Next conference of the European Social Science Genetics Network (ESSGN) in Bristol, 22-23 May.
✅Keynote by @michellemeyer.bsky.social
✅Panel on the current frontier of MR w/ George Davey-Smith (Bristol), Dalton Conley (Princeton), and Alice Carter (Novo-Nordisk).
essgn.org/essgn-confer...
✅Keynote by @michellemeyer.bsky.social
✅Panel on the current frontier of MR w/ George Davey-Smith (Bristol), Dalton Conley (Princeton), and Alice Carter (Novo-Nordisk).
essgn.org/essgn-confer...
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Man I cannot endorse this abstract more
November 25, 2024 at 11:00 PM
Man I cannot endorse this abstract more
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Check out our new paper on genetic links with 10 fields of education in >460k ppl. We found overlapping genetic influences on different fields, summarised by 2 key tendencies: Technical v Social and Creative v Conformist osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
July 25, 2024 at 8:56 AM
Check out our new paper on genetic links with 10 fields of education in >460k ppl. We found overlapping genetic influences on different fields, summarised by 2 key tendencies: Technical v Social and Creative v Conformist osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Sjoerd van Alten
Come to the Boulder workshop on statistical genetics, you’ll get a Beanie, it’ll keep you warm some random day months later!
December 7, 2023 at 8:18 AM
Come to the Boulder workshop on statistical genetics, you’ll get a Beanie, it’ll keep you warm some random day months later!