INVEST visitor: Oskar Pettersson
In the “INVEST visitors” series, we present visiting professors and fellows who have arrived at the flagship INVEST. This time we are PhD candidate Oskar Pettersson.
My name is Oskar Pettersson, and I am a PhD candidate in political science at the Department of Government, Uppsala University. I study how genetic dispositions influence individuals’ social, economic and political life outcomes, with a focus on how genetic influences can vary depending on environmental circumstances on different scales (gene-environment interaction, or GxE). Using Swedish register data connected to genotyped twins in the Swedish Twin Registry (STR), I have explored questions such as whether genetic influences on educational attainment have increased over time in Sweden, and whether parental and neighbourhood factors moderate genetic influences on political participation. Currently, I am researching how genetic explanations for socioeconomic status affect Swedish and American citizens’ perceived immutability and fairness of inequality. I am also interested in how we can use genetically informed research to make better non-genetic social science research.
Why do you want to visit INVEST?
I am looking forward to be able to spend time in this new, cross-disciplinary research environment, with quite interesting research themes, and, hopefully, make some new academic friends. Tying into my own particular research interests, I am very interested in exploring the genetically informed INVEST register data, and learn more about the role of genetics for life outcomes in a country that, like Sweden, has achieved a highly egalitarian societal structure over the past century.
What do you hope to reach during your visit to INVEST?
I hope to be able to establish new connections and collaborations, and learn more about new ways of organizing social science research connected to register data. I am visiting INVEST between 7th January-14th February, and I will be working together with my host, professor Jani Erola. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you are interested in talking about genetically informed research – or anything else, really!