Biology Meets Educational Attainment

Genetics studies over the last fifty years have concluded the most individual differences in education attainment (EA) are due to environmental factors but that genes play a role too. New genomic technologies in the last 10 years have facilitated new experimental designs that can detect associations between DNA variants and ‘complex traits’ such as EA. I will introduce a number of basic concepts and genetics, show results from the largest genetic study of EA to date (based upon 300,000 individuals) and discuss the prospects of applying genetic instrument variable analyses to draw inference about EA and outcomes in life.