Dr. Jennifer Lansford – Centennial HS Class of 1991 – Research Professor, Published Scientist and Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Jennifer Lansford, PhD graduated as one of the valedictorians from Centennial High School in 1991 with numerous honors and a 5.0-point average while participating in band, track, cross country, Interact, and numerous other academic and service clubs. Jennifer served as a Research Scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University from 2000-2008, then went on to become an Associate Research Professor in 2008. She was made a full Research Professor at the center in 2011 and continues in that position to this date. Since 2008, she has led an international team of researchers at universities in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States) studying child development and parenting in different cultural contexts. She has had 261 peer reviewed publications in professional journals, thus far, authored or edited 16 professional books, and writes a monthly blog for the magazine Psychology Today on Parenting and Culture. Jennifer was awarded Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in 2019. In 2023, she was appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Behavioral Development (IJBD). Denis Gerstorf, co-chair of the Publications Committee stated, “‘Dr. Lansford stood out as an exceptional candidate due to her highly visible and productive record of scholarship, wealth of editorial experience, history of commitment and service to IJBD, and future vision for the journal.” Dr. Jennifer Lansford demonstrates a global impact that will inspire and benefit generations to come.
