Stephen Suomi, PhD

Stephen J. Suomi is Chief of the Laboratory of Comparative Ethology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He also holds appointments as Research Professor at the University of Virginia (Psychology), the University of Maryland, College Park (Human Development), and The Johns Hopkins University (Mental Hygiene), and is an Adjunct Professor at Pennsylvania State University (Human Development) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Psychology). Dr. Suomi studied Psychology as an undergraduate at Stanford University, then continued his studies as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1971. Dr. Suomi then joined the Psychology faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he eventually attained the rank of Professor. In 1983 he left Wisconsin to join the NICHD when he began his present position.

Dr. Suomi has received international recognition for his extensive research on biobehavioral development in rhesus monkeys and other primate species. His initial postdoctoral research successfully reversed the adverse effects of early social isolation, previously thought to be permanent in rhesus monkeys. His subsequent research at Wisconsin led to his election a s Fellow in the American Association for the advancement of Science for "major contributions to the understanding of social factors that influence the psychological development of nonhuman primates." Since joining the NICHD he has identified heritable and experiential factors that influence individual biobehavioral development, characterized both behavioral and physiological features of distinctive rhesus monkey phenotypes, and demonstrated the adaptive significance of these different phenotypes in naturalistic settings. His present research focuses on three genera issues: the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in shaping individual developmental trajectories, the issue of continuity vs. change and the relative stability of individual differences throughout development, and the degree to which findings from monkeys studied in captivity generalize not only to monkeys living in the wild but also to humans living in different cultures.

Throughout his professional career Dr. Suomi has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors. To date, he has authored or co-authored more than 300 articles published in scientific journals and chapters in edited volumes. He has also delivered more than 300 invited colloquia, symposium and workshop presentations, and convention papers in the U.S. and in 12 foreign countries.