Kathryn Paige Harden

Kathryn Paige Harden

Psychologist

Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden is a tenured professor in the Department of Psychology at UT, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and co-directs the Texas Twin Project. She is the author of The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality (Princeton). Dr. Harden received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia and completed her clinical internship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. 

Two hands in handcuffs, connected by a DNA double helix chain, symbolize genome blindness against a solid blue background.
4 min
Eugenics is bad - but understanding DNA is good.
John Templeton Foundation
Black text on a beige background reads, "YOU ARE NOT YOUR GENETICS," styled like an eye chart with distance markers, challenging the idea that genetics alone define you.
Almost all our school improvements fail. Here’s why.
John Templeton Foundation
Close-up image of a green leaf showing detailed vein structure and texture, capturing the intricate design that highlights the essence of nature versus nurture.
4 min
“If 90% of children had ADHD and only 10% of children could sit still at a desk, how would we design school?”
John Templeton Foundation
A dark background with vertical lines of varying lengths and colors—yellow, blue, and white—arranged in uneven rows and columns, evoking the randomness of the genetic lottery.
We all play the genetic lottery - and the outcome matters a lot.
John Templeton Foundation
The Genetic Lottery
In an excerpt from her recent book, the behavior geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden carefully explores a topic that's often considered taboo: how genetics affect life outcomes.