Robert Plomin is MRC Research Professor in Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. The BPS Lifetime Achievement Award recognises and celebrates Professor Plomin’s exceptional and sustained contributions throughout his career as a practitioner psychologist.

Working out of the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Professor Plomin runs the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), which has followed 10,000 pairs of UK twins from infancy through early adulthood and has been running since 1994.

He was elected the youngest President of the international Behavior Genetics Association and has received lifetime research achievement awards from the major associations related to his field. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, British Academy, American Academy of Political and Social Science, and Academy of Medical Sciences (UK). He has published more than 800 papers and is the author of the best-selling textbook in the field of behavioural genetics as well as a dozen other books. His most recent book is Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are describes how the DNA revolution is transforming science, society and the way we think about ourselves.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the highest and most prestigious honours the British Psychological Society can bestow on its members. The Society is a registered charity which acts as the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK, and is responsible for the promotion of excellence and ethical practice in the science, education, and application of the discipline. Their mission is to support and enhance the development and application of psychology for the greater public good, setting high standards for research, education, and knowledge, and disseminating knowledge to increase public awareness.