Dr. Ross A. Thompson is a distinguished professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Davis, where he founded and directed the Social & Emotional Development Lab. He first joined the ZERO TO THREE Board of Directors in 2005.
Contributions to the Field
A leading authority on early social, emotional, and moral development, Dr. Thompson’s research has profoundly influenced both developmental science and public policy in early childhood. His work, informed by developmental neuroscience, has helped shape the understanding of early development and its implications for systems that support young children and families.
Affiliations
- Past President, ZERO TO THREE Board of Directors
- Founding Member, Board of Advisors, Buffett Early Childhood Institute
- Founding Member, Board of Advisors, Stein Early Childhood Development Fund (to 2023)
- Founding Member, Executive Committee, Center for Poverty Research, University of California, Davis
- Past Founding Member, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
Recognition and Thought Leadership
Dr. Thompson’s contributions have earned numerous honors, including the Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society from the American Psychological Association and the ZERO TO THREE Lifetime Achievement Award. His scholarship and leadership continue to shape national conversations on early childhood development, research, and policy.
Over his distinguished career, Dr. Thompson has authored or coauthored more than 300 publications, including seven books. He has contributed to several landmark committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, including the influential report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. He is the author of The Brain Development Revolution: Science, the Media, and Public Policy (Cambridge University Press, 2023) and co-editor of Attachment: The Fundamental Questions (Guilford, 2021).
Current Research
Dr. Thompson’s current work includes integrative papers on parent-child attachment and its implications for early childhood mental health, early conscience development and the emergence of prosocial behavior, and the economic and policy contexts of early childhood poverty.
