Avshalom Caspi, Ph.D. '86 in the field of human development and family studies, and wife Terrie Moffitt -- both professors of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University as well as professors at King's College London -- are the recipients of the second annual Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize from the Jacobs Foundation "for their trailblazing discoveries of how specific genes, along with environmental factors, are predictors of how childhood stress will impact individuals in adulthood, including the onset of depression, anti-social behavior and/or physical disease." The award carries a $1 million prize.

The couple will accept the award at the University of Zurich, Dec. 3.

Their collaborative work over two decades suggests that a "bad" genotype is not a sentence for a lifelong struggle -- good parenting can overcome it. Likewise, a "bad" environment is not a sentence either, because you must also have "bad" genes. And even the combination of "bad" environment and "bad" genes does not condemn children to a future of crime or depression -- it merely tips the scales a little in that direction. Their research indicates that the complex interaction between genes and the environment plays a central role in psychology's resilience theories about children who have good mental health despite adversity, and in psychopathology's theories of mental illness.

These findings could change our understanding of the effects of child abuse, according to the foundation, but could also be translated to intervention and treatment. Eventually, a designer drug might succeed in fostering resilience, according to the researchers.

In 2009, Laurence Steinberg, who also earned a Cornell Ph.D. in the field of human development and family studies in 1977, received the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize for his "contribution to improving the personal circumstances of adolescents and their families." According to the foundation, Steinberg has been influential in the way in which adolescent development is understood by both scientists and politicians. The Jacobs Foundation is one of the largest foundations in Europe in the field of youth development in terms of resources and financial commitments.

Information: http://award.jacobsfoundation.org/.