Aktuell

• von Dr. Alexandra Nießen
• 06.10.2026

Why do some children thrive despite a difficult start in life, whilst others struggle with challenges? Prof. Dr. Julia Jäkel, the new Professor of Medical Developmental Psychology, is researching how biological and social factors shape children’s development – from the consequences of preterm birth to language barriers faced by children growing up in multilingual environments. At Essen University Hospital, the 45-year-old intends, in particular, to investigate which protective factors help children do well in life.

[Dr Alexandra Niessen:] How would you explain your research to someone outside your field?

[Prof. Dr Julia Jäkel:] My research focuses on risk and resilience in long-term development. Babies born preterm, for example, grow up with a high risk of developing cognitive, socio-emotional and attention problems. At the same time, there are protective factors that promote healthy and successful development. I am also investigating how language barriers affect the school readiness of multilingual children and how we can break down these barriers.

What is it about this topic that fascinates you personally?

Human development is incredibly complex, particularly the constant interplay between nature and nurture in today’s societies. I want to understand this better. At the same time, my goal is to provide evidence-based pointers for where and how we should invest to create conditions that allow all children to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

What would you like to achieve at Essen University Hospital (UK Essen) over the next few years?

At Paediatrics Clinic I, we have been studying a large cohort of preterm babies up to school age for several years now. More than 50 per cent of these biological at-risk children come from immigrant families and are growing up speaking multiple languages. We are looking at language barriers and protective factors.

I plan to systematically expand this cohort study, to foster close collaborations among experts from the fields of medicine, education and the social sciences, and to communicate our research widely to the general public and policy-makers. The Ruhr region is a melting pot of fascinating diversity; we can intentionally harness this strength.

What misconception about your field of expertise would you like to clear up?

1. Psychologists cannot predict or fully understand the behaviour of individual persons with 100 per cent accuracy.

2. Developmental psychology is not a ‘cuddly subject involving babies’; our discipline is strongly influenced by biology and evolutionary theory and encompasses the entire lifespan.

Further information:

Prof. Dr Julia Jäkel, Essen University Hospital, Department of Developmental Psychology, Julia.Jaekel@uk-essen.de

Editor: Dr Alexandra Niessen, alexandra.niessen@uni-due.de