This is academia—in action.

The research-backed resource for sifting through the science.

 

There’s a lot of info out there about how to heal, improve, and optimize—everything.

From our kids to our wellbeing, so much advice claims to be “backed by science”.

But pseudoscience usually means empty promises and no real results.

Welcome to the hub for scientific facts that can fine-tune and improve your life.

No hype. No sales. Just decades of award-winning research, harnessed into actionable advice for better living.

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I’m Dr. Danielle Dick, Ph.D, your trusted resource for what the science actually says.

I’ve spent the past 20 years studying the surprising ways that our genes and environments shape our lives—from child behavior, to addiction, mental health, and so much more.

Throughout my career, I’ve written more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, and secured over $55 million dollars in grant funding.

 

But I care about more than just generating research, I want to bring the science to you, in ways that are engaging and empowering. Because I’m not just a scientist, I’m a mom, a wife, a neighbor, a friend.

And I want to help you see how understanding your unique genetic wiring can help you – in your parenting, your marriage, your friendships, your job.

I believe knowledge creates a foundation for real change, and the more we know, the better we can do.

 
 
 
 
 

Qualifications

  • Greg Brown Endowed Chair in Neuroscience
    Department of Psychiatry
    Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School danielle.m.dick@rutgers.edu

  • Director
    Rutgers Addiction Research Center
    Rutgers University / Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences / Brain Health Institute

  • Founding Director
    Center for Research on Behavioral and Emotional Health
    Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Founding Director
    Spit for Science

  • Principal Investigator/Site Principal Investigator
    15 National Institute of Health (NIH) Grants

  • Co-Investigator
    9 National Institute of Health (NIH) Grants

  • Ph.D. in Psychology, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genetics
    Indiana University | 2001, 2003

 

Awards

  • National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

  • NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship

  • NARSAD Young Investigator Award

  • NIAAA K02 mid-career award

  • Behavior Genetics Association
    Fuller Scott Award for Outstanding Young Investigator (2006)

  • Fulker Award for best paper published in the journal Behavior Genetics (2007)

  • Research Society on Alcoholism
    Young Investigator Award (2010)

  • World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics
    Richard Todd Award in Child Psychiatry (2011)

  • World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics
    Theodore Reich Young Investigator Award (2012)

  • Inaugural Indiana University Department of Psychology Young Alumni award (2013)

  • Association of Recovery Schools
    Award for Outstanding Contribution to Recovery Research in an Education Setting (2018)

 

Understanding your child’s unique nature for happier, more effective parenting

Most parenting advice puts the behaviors of mom & dad at the center of raising a “good” kid. But that ignores a fundamental biological fact: genetics affects virtually every aspect of human behavior,

Each child is uniquely coded with predispositions that influence everything from their fearfulness and impulsivity, to their propensity to throw huge fits at Target!

This provocative, science-based approach helps parents understand how each of their unique children are wired. Take off the pressure, simplify parenting, and learn what strategies will work best for your child with The Child Code.

 
 
 
 

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