IWD2025: An Interview with Professor Yulia Kovas

Next in our IWD interview series is Professor Yulia Kovas! She is a Professor Emeritus at Goldsmiths, University of London and a Visiting Professor at King's College London. She is the director of InLab: https://technotruth.co.uk/inlab/

Yulia's work is broadly focused on the development of individual differences in cognitive abilities, particularly spatial ability, as well as emotional and motivational processes, academic achievement, and well-being. At King's College London, she collaborates on the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS; https://www.teds.ac.uk/). She also aims to improve genetic literacy to help people extract the most benefits from genetic advances. As part of this work, she co-founded The Accessible Genetics Consortium.

She gave one of the keynote talks, 'Education in the Genomic Era', at the 2023 ISSID conference held at Queen's University Belfast.

She has also written the book (which I personally recommend!): Oedipus Rex in the Genomic Era

Could you share a brief overview of your professional journey and your current role within your research organization?

I have 5 degrees and I have had several careers, including a school teacher, an interpreter, researcher, lecturer and consultant. I have acted as psychology research ethics chair and director of psychology research, research lead for psychology programme development, scientific advisor, editor, programme director, lab director; and held many other academic and non-academic roles. I am a researcher, educator, writer and consultant. As professor of genetics and psychology, I am dedicated to interdisciplinary research and teaching, as well as to ensuring public understanding and beneficial use of research findings in educational, occupational, business, justice, and other life settings.

Are there any researchers who are women who have influenced your work? What was it about their work that influenced you?

I have several mentors and role models, and many more people have influenced my work – writers from across the centuries, fellow researchers, students, etc. But if one experience stuck with me forever: I was an undergraduate student, straight out of school. This was one of the first University lectures I attended. It was a winter evening, we were in class, waiting for the lecture to start. A lecturer came in quietly, took her coat off and stood in front of the class. Everyone was chatting away. Suddenly, she said quietly:

‘The buzz subsides. I have come on stage.

Leaning in an open door

I try to detect from the echo

What the future has in store.’

And she went on to recite the whole of Pasternak’s poem ‘Hamlet’.

As she was speaking, the time and space were transformed, the class fell silent and we were all listening, mesmerized. To me, this was a magical moment – the magic of educational time-space where we are transformed. At that time, our lecturers had no computers, no slides, no virtual learning environment – just themselves, but in that time-space, I came to appreciate that between their mind and my mind there was a huge gulf of my ignorance. But that through our joint efforts this gulf may get smaller, shallower. I have been under this spell since then – the spell of the magic of education.

What role does collaboration play in your work, and can you share an example of a successful collaboration experience?

For me, there would be no research without collaboration. Working with my close collaborators over the years has been the most rewarding experience. One of my closest and oldest collaborations started with my talk at a conference in Seoul, after which my collaborator and now friend came up to me and said ‘we should collaborate’. I said: ‘Yes, let’s exchange email…’, but he said: ‘If you have time NOW, we can have a look at our variables…’. One year later, we had a huge grant together – enabling a whole programme of research and many further opportunities.

Can you identify a major challenge you've faced in your research and how it impacted your work?

My work, like most people’s, has been impacted by various personal, geo-political, social and existential crises and challenges. The Self evolves and so does the work – one never knows how things will pan out, and this not knowing is both stressful and exciting. The field will evolve, as new environments require new adaptations. The future, fueled by continued technological advances, will require many adaptations from individuals and societies. And so, adaptability is the most important trait to keep developing.

What do you believe are the emerging trends or future directions within your area of research?

We have learned more about genes, brain, mind and behaviour in the last few years than in the whole history of humanity. This time in the human history can be called ‘the perilous edge of knowing’ – paraphrasing Sophocles. Time will tell what is beyond the edge.

Reading right now: Yulia recently re-read Sophocles and 'Galapagos' by Kurt Vonnegut, which she recommends as very topical for today.

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