Dr. Kaili Rimfeld, Group Director
Kaili is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Psychology at Royal Holloway University of London. With expertise in developmental psychology, she focuses on individual differences in learning abilities and psychopathology. Following her Psychology degree, she completed her MSc in Developmental Sciences at Birkbeck College and embarked on her PhD at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London.Supervised by Professor Robert Plomin, her PhD research was funded by the Medical Research Council and centred on the causes and correlates of individual differences in academic achievement. Kaili has published research employing quantitative genetic methodology, including twin design and DNA-based methods, to enhance our understanding of individual differences in educational achievement at the end of compulsory education and beyond.
Kaili's current work aims to get to the heart of the association between early educational experiences and adverse life outcomes using advanced statistical genetic methods that aid in the identification of specific risk factors (school environment, school type, educational outcomes, parental/teacher support) that predict outcomes during childhood and later in life while controlling for genetic confounding. The work will build upon her research to date in understanding individual differences in educational outcomes and their cognitive and non-cognitive correlates. She will study educational environments, such as school types and school-related stress and anxiety, and how they relate to children's genetic propensities and ultimately lead to different life outcomes using advanced statistical methods. She aims to clarify the developmental trajectories of wellbeing and its associations with school-related stress and anxiety. These analyses will greatly increase understanding of the development of mental health problems in the context of academic environments. Knowing individual-specific genetic predispositions and understanding how certain environmental factors may dampen or amplify genetic predictions will improve our understanding of the development of mental health problems and contribute to our knowledge of how to best intervene to prevent emotional problems during childhood and adulthood.
Rebecca Ferdinand, PhD Student (RHUL)
Rebecca is a PhD student in psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. After completing a BSc in psychology at Durham University, Rebecca spent ten years working in communications for several education-related charities, before completing an MSc in Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology at King’s College London. Rebecca started her PhD, supervised by Dr Kaili Rimfeld, Professor Dawn Watling and Professor Robert Plomin, in September 2023. She is interested in how individuals’ educational experiences impact their mental health and other future outcomes.
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Maddie Briggs, Trainee Clinical Psychologist (RHUL)
Maddie is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist completing her doctorate course at Royal Holloway, University of London. She has previously completed a BSc in Psychology with Early Childhood Studies, and an MSc in Psychology. Maddie's doctoral thesis will be exploring the longitudinal associations between school experiences in childhood, and psychotic-like experiences in emerging adulthood using the Twins Early Developmental Study data. Maddie is supervised by Dr. Kaili Rimfeld.
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Sam Berry, Postdoctoral Research Associate (RHUL)
My research focuses on understanding the multiple causes of mental health issues, ranging from differences in brain structure and function, genetic risk, and environmental influences (e.g., in schools). To investigate this complex issue, I use a range of approaches through longitudinal analyses of large developmental datasets, genetic prediction, and experimental paradigms using tools including MRI and virtual reality. My goal is to integrate insights across these levels of analysis to advance our understanding of, and ultimately improve, mental health outcomes.
Kadri Arumäe, Postdoctoral Research Associate (RHUL)
Kadri completed her PhD in 2023 at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Her dissertation investigated the links between personality traits and body weight, using detailed correlational analyses to clarify their relationships and applying genetic and longitudinal methods to examine causality between them bidirectionally. During and after her PhD, she also collaborated on several projects examining the genetics of obesity and the links between personality and various aspects of health behaviour. Since 2025, she has been working in Dr Kaili Rimfeld’s group at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she investigates which aspects of the school environment influence mental health.
Eloise Funnell, Postdoctoral Research Associate (RHUL)
Eloise is a PhD student in Psychology at Royal Holloway University of London, supervised by Dr. Kaili Rimfeld, Dr. Giorgia Michelini and Prof. Dan Anderberg. Having completed a BSc in Psychology and MSc in Brain Sciences, Eloise previously worked as a Research Assistant at King's College London on a project exploring the impact of the mainstream school environment on neurodivergent young people's emotional responses and wellbeing. Building upon this work, their PhD project investigates the relationship between child, family, and geographical factors on Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) identification and long-term educational and mental health outcomes, aiming to improve equity in provision for young people.
Ellen Durkin, Postdoctoral Research Associate(RHUL)
Ellen is a PhD student in psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. She completed a part-time psychology conversion MSc at Birkbeck, University of London while working full time in the financial sector with clients in the entertainment industry. During this time, she developed a strong interest in developmental psychology, which led to a career change and to pursuing an MSc in Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology at King’s College London, where she developed a particular interest in behavioural genetics and psychopathology. Ellen’s research interests focus on how genetic and environmental factors interact to influence child and adolescent mental health, with a particular emphasis on academic achievement and educational experiences, as well as underlying genetic predispositions. Ellen began her PhD in September 2025 under the supervision of Dr Kaili Rimfeld.