PD Dr. Bastian Mönkediek

QUALIFICATION

• 12/2023: Habilitation, Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University (Germany),
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. M. Diewald

• 2016: Degree of Doctor, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University (the Netherlands),
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. H. Bras (Wageningen), Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Kok (Nijmegen)

• 2009: M.A. (Sociology and Empirical Social Research), Institute of Sociology, University of Bremen (Germany),
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Huinink, Co-Supervisor: Dr. K. Lutz (Maul)

• 2006: B.A. (Social Sciences), Department of Social Sciences, University of Osnabrück (Germany),
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. R. Niketta

Post graduate training

• 25.06.2017 - 30.06.2017: NCRM Summer School, Nuffield College, University of Oxford (England)

• 15.07.2014: Advanced Training Diploma, N.W. Posthumus Institute, Leiden (the Netherlands)

• 19.04.2013: Basic Training Diploma, N.W. Posthumus Institute, Leiden (the Netherlands)

• 25.07.2011 – 05.08.2011: Essex Summer School, University of Essex (England)
  • Mathematics for Social Scientists
  • Social Network Analysis - Theory and Applications

EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING

• 07/2024 - 06/2025 (extended till 06/2026): Project: 'Genetic and social causes of life chances. Establishing a genetically informative, longitudinal study of the life course and individual development (TWINLIFE)'
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 220286500,
  • with Christian Kandler and Frank M. Spinath

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

• Since 01.07.2024: PI of the Project: 'TwinLife', Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University (Germany)

• 01.09.2016 - 30.06.2024: Research Fellow, Project: 'TwinLife', Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University (Germany),
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. M. Diewald

• 01.10.2011 – 29.02.2016: Research Assistant, Project: ‘The Power of the Family',
  • (01.01.2014 – 29.02.2016) Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University (the Netherlands)
  • (01.10.2011 – 31.12.2013) Department of History, Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands)
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. H. Bras

• 01.04.2010 – 30.09.2011: Research Assistant, Project: ‘Historical developments of social reproduction in Germany’, Institute of Sociology, University of Tübingen (Germany)
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. S. Hillmert

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• 01.10.2018 - 30.09.2025: Teaching different courses at Bielefeld University, Faculty of Sociology (Germany)

• 01.10.2015 - 31.08.2016: Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences,University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany)

• 01.10.2009 – 31.03.2010: Assistant Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences, University of Osnabrück (Germany)

• 01.10.2009 – 30.09.2009: Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences, University of Osnabrück (Germany)

• 01.10.2008 - 30.09.2009: Different lectureships at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Osnabrück (Germany)

PUBLICATIONS
Articles (peer-reviewed)

• Mönkediek, B. & Diewald, M. (2026). Does parental involvement in school affect children's school performance? Social Science Research, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103275
• deSteiguer, A. J., Smith, T., Goode, J. A., Willems, Y. E., Schowe, A. M., Czamara, D., Mönkediek, B., [...] & Harden, K. P. (2025). Salivary DNA methylation and pubertal development in adolescents. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 35970. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-19588-1
• Kuznetsov, D. V., Liu, Y., Schowe, A. M., Czamara, D., Instinske, J., Pahnke, C. K. L., [...] , & Mönkediek, B. (2025). Genetic and environmental contributions to epigenetic aging across adolescence and young adulthood. Clinical Epigenetics, 17(78), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-025-01880-6
• Eichhorn, H., & Mönkediek, B. (2024). What explains the sex differences in family leisure activities of children? A genetically sensitive analysis with twin data. Journal of Family Research, 36, 327–350. https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-988
• Kandler, C., Kühn, S., Mönkediek, B., Forstner, A. J., & Bleidorn, W. (2024). A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Person-Environment Fit: Relevance, Measurement, and Future Directions. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242451
• Dierker, P., Kühn, M., & Mönkediek, B. (2023). Does parental separation moderate the heritability of health risk behavior among adolescents?. Social Science & Medicine, 116070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116070
• Mönkediek, B., Diewald, M., & Lang, V. (2023). Does social origin modify the heritability of cognitive ability? A close look at the relevance of different parental resources. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 100824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2023.100824
• Mönkediek, B., Schober, P., Diewald, M., Eichhorn, H., & Spiess, C. K. (2023). Does the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care Centers Mitigate the Risk of Externalizing Problems? A Genetic-Sensitive Study of Preschoolers in Germany. KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11577-023-00885-4
• Kottwitz, A., Mönkediek, B., Klatzka, C.H., Hufer-Thamm, A., & Hildebrandt, J. (2023). Genetic and environmental contributions to the subjective burden of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychology, 11(134), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01174-7
• Mönkediek, B. (2022). How variants of tracking affect the role of genes and environment in explaining child attendance at upper secondary school. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 100714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2022.100714
• Mönkediek, B., & Diewald, M. (2021). Do academic ability and social background influence each other in shaping educational attainment? The case of the transition to secondary education in Germany. Social Science Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102625
• Mönkediek, B. (2020). Trait-specific testing of the equal environment assumption: The case of school grades and upper secondary school attendance. Journal of Family Research. https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-381
• Mönkediek, B., Schulz, W., Eichhorn, H., & Diewald, M. (2020). Is there something special about twin families? A comparison of parenting styles in twin and non-twin families. Social Science Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102441.
• Mönkediek, B. (2020). Patterns of spatial proximity and the timing and spacing of bearing children. Demographic Research, 42(16), 461-496. https://dx.doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2020.42.16
• Mönkediek, B. & Bras, H. (2017). Family systems and fertility intentions: exploring the pathways of influence. European Journal of Population. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-017-9418-4.
• Mönkediek, B. & Bras, H. (2016). The Interplay of Family Systems, Social Net-works and Fertility in Europe Cohorts Born Between 1920 and 1960. Economic History of Developing Regions, 31(1), 136-166. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC186077
• Mönkediek, B., Rotering, P., & Bras, H. (2015). Regional differences in the inter-generational transmission of family size in Europe. Population, Space and Place. Online First, https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2003.
• Mönkediek, B., Kok, J., & Mandemakers, K. (2015). The Impact of Family Setting and Local Opportunities on Leaving Home and Migration Destinations of Rural Youths, The Netherlands 1860-1940. Historical Life Course Studies, 3, 43–65. https://doi.org/10.51964/hlcs9353
• Kok, J., Mandemakers, K., & Mönkediek, B. (2014). Flight from the land? Migration flows of the rural population of The Netherlands, 1850-1940. Espace Populations Sociétés, 2014/1. https://doi.org/10.4000/eps.5631
• Mönkediek, B. & Bras, H. (2014). Strong and weak family ties revisited: recon-sidering European family structures from a network perspective. The History of the Family, 19(2), 235-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/1081602X.2014.897246
• Buis, M. L., Mönkediek, B., & Hillmert, S. (2012). Educational expansion and the role of demographic factors: The case of West Germany. Population Review, 51(2). https://doi.org/10.1353/prv.2012.0007

Book chapters

• Diewald, M., Mönkediek, B. (2025). The Potential Contribution of Genetically Informed Studies to the Explanation and Interpretation of Social Inequalities. In: Hammerl, M., Schwarz, S., Willführ, K.P. (eds) Evolutionary Social Sciences. Springer, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-48028-8_3
  • Diewald, M. & Mönkediek, B. (2024). Der mögliche Beitrag genetisch informierter Untersuchungen zur Erklärung und Interpretation sozialer Ungleichheiten. In: Hammerl, M., Schwarz, S., & Willführ, K. (eds.). Evolutionäre Sozialwissenschaften. Ein Rundgang (pp. 39-57). Springer VS. ISBN: 978-3-658-43624-7 (eBook)
• Mandemakers, K., Mönkediek, B., & Kok, J. (2016). De rol van gezin en bedrijf bij de migratie van Nederlandse boerenkinderen tussen 1850 en 1940. In: Puschmann, P., Paping, R., & Matthijs, K. (eds.). Familie en levenskansen in het verleden. Jaarboek historische demografie 2015 (pp. 25-56). Leuven: ACCO.
• Mangnus, E., Mönkediek, B., & Dekker, M. (2015). Trading cereals in rural Mali: The role of social relations in N'golobougou. In: Mangnus, E. (ed.). Organising Trade (pp. 89-114). PhD Thesis. Wageningen: Wageningen University.

Monographs

• Mönkediek, B. (2016). Family Systems and Fertility: Fertility Behaviour in Europe from a Network Perspective. PhD thesis. Wageningen: Wageningen University. ISBN-13: 978-9462577978
• Mönkediek, B. (2011). Unsicherheit Familiengründung: Eine empirische Analyse zur Bedeutung von finanziellen Ressourcen für den Kinderwunsch und die Timingintention der ersten Elternschaft. 2. edition. Osnabrück: Verlag Dirk Koentopp. ISBN-13: 978-3938342220
• Mönkediek, B. (2009). Wenn die Entscheidung fürs Kind zum Problem wird: Eine-empirische Analyse zur Abhängigkeit der Timingintention der ersten Elternschaft von Elementen biographischer Sicherheit. Master thesis. Osnabrück: Verlag Dirk Koentopp. ISBN-13: 978-3938342206

Reports & other papers

• Rohm, T., Andreas, A., Deppe, M., Eichhorn, H., Instinske, J., Klatzka, C.H., [...], & Spinath, F. M. (2023). Data from the German TwinLife Study: Genetic and Social Origins of Educational Predictors, Processes, and Outcomes. Journal of Open Psychology Data, 11(1), 4.DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.78
• Krell, K., Nikstat, A., Kottwitz, A., Baum, M. A., Eifler, E. F., Hufer-Thamm, A., [...], & Weigel, L. (2022). TwinLife ShortGuide. TwinLife Technical Report Series. Vol 11 v1.2.0. Universität Bielefeld / Universität des Saarlandes. urn:nbn:de:0070-pub-29644767
• Mönkediek, B., Lang, V., Weigel, L., Baum, M. A., Eifler, E. F., Hahn, E., [...], & Nikstat, A. (2019). The German Twin Family Panel (TwinLife). Twin Research and Human Genetics, 22(6), 540-547. https://doi.org/10.1017/thg.2019.63
• Lang, V., Weigel, L., Mönkediek, B., Baum, M. A., Eichhorn, H., Eifler, E. F., [...], & Krell, K. (2019). An Introduction to the German Twin Family Panel (TwinLife). Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, 1(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2019-0066
• Hillmert, S., Buis, M., & Mönkediek, B. (2012). Description of the REPRO File. Tübingen: University of Tübingen.
• Hillmert, S., Buis, M., & Mönkediek, B. (2012). Historical developments of social reproduction in Germany. Project documentation. Tübingen: University of Tübingen.
• Mönkediek, B. (2010). Projektbericht Netzwerk und Elternschaft. Osnabrück: Universität Osnabrück. urn:nbn:de:gbv:700-201004296238
• Mönkediek, B./Schwerthelm, L. (2006). SoWis unter sich. Gruppenstrukturen bei Studierenden des Fachbereichs Sozialwissenschaften. Osnabrück: Universität Osnabrück. urn:nbn:de:gbv:700-201001304550

Working papers

• Mönkediek, B., Ruks, M., Kuznetsov, D. V., Diewald, M., Kandler, C., Maj, C., … Forstner, A. J. (2025). Is Greater Partner Similarity in Educational Attainment Reflecting Greater Genetic Resemblance? A Molecular Genetic Study. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/pqnu9_v1
• Kuznetsov, D. V., Liu, Y., Schowe, A. M., Czamara, D., Instinske, J., Pahnke, C. K. L., [...] , & Mönkediek, B. (2024). Age-Associated Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Epigenetic Aging Across Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood. bioRxiv 2024.06.10.598273. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.10.598273
• Dierker, P., Kühn, M., & Mönkediek, B. (2022). Does parental separation moderate the heritability of health risk behavior among adolescents? (No. WP-2022-036). Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany. https://doi.org/10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2022-036

Edited volumes

• Mönkediek, B. (2011) (Ed.). Virtuelle Welten - wie Computer und Internet unser Leben bestimmen. Osnabrück: Verlag Dirk Koentopp. ISBN-13: 978-3938342275.
• Mönkediek, B. (2010) (Ed.). Was kann denn der Mittelwert dafür, dass er so attraktiv ist. Kleine Festschrift zur Emeritierung von Prof. Dr. Reiner Niketta. Osnabrück: Verlag Dirk Koentopp. ISBN-13: 978-3938342251

Book reviews

• Mönkediek, B. (2025). Verhaltensgenetik. Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11577-025-01004-1

INVITED TALKS

• May 2025: International Twins' Symposium: Rearing twins: Past, present and future, University of Crete ,Rethymnon, Greece. Talk: "Equal genes, equal opportunities? How the interplay of genes and environment contribute to inequalities in life chances"
• March 2025: Individualization Symposium 2025, JICE, Bielefeld (Germany). Talk: "What makes us so different? Individualisation processes in the life course from a behavioural-genetic perspective"
• June 2023: Mainzer Kolloquium Methoden und Sozialstruktur, Mainz (Germany). Talk: "Genetic and environmental contributions to educational inequality"
• June 2022: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock (Germany). Talk: "Inequalities in Children’s Stress and Mental Health: A Behavioral Genetic Perspective"
• April 2014: Alumni Colloquium, Department of Sociology, University of Bremen (Germany). Talk: "Familienkulturen und Fertilität in Europa"

PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS

• September 2024: SLLS Conference, Colchester (UK). "What Drives Teacher’s Recommendations? Testing the Relevance of Genetic Predispositions, Abilities, and Social Contexts", with T. Wolfram and A. Kottwitz
• October 2023: SLLS Conference, Munich (Germany). "The contributions of parenting to school grades", with M. Diewald
• September 2023: ECSR Annual Conference, Prague (Czech Republic). Presentation: "Does social origin modify the heritability of cognitive ability? A close look at the relevance of different parental resources", with M. Diewald and V. Lang
• September 2022: DGS Congress, Bielefeld (Germany). Presentation: "How variants of tracking affect the role of genes and en-vironments in explaining child’s attendance at upper secondary school"
• August 2021: Gemeinsamer Soziologiekongress der DGS und ÖGS, Wien (Austria) (Online). Presentation: "Individuelle Anlagen oder doch Umwelteinflüsse? Bedin-gungen einer gelingenden Adaption in der Corona-Pandemie", with M. Diewald, A. Kottwitz, and L. Weigel
• June 2021: BGA 2021 Annual Meeting (Online). Poster: "Do parenting styles and parental involvement in school actually influence school performance? The role and importance of common genetic and common environmental influences", with M. Diewald
• November 2020: Gemeinsame Frühjahrstagung der DGS-Sektionen „Soziale Un-gleichheit und Sozialstrukturanalyse“ und „Bildung und Erziehung“, (Online). Presentation: "Parental Background, Child Capabilities and Educational Performance: Insights From Behavioral Genetics", with M. Diewald
• May 2019: DGS-Frühjahrstagung der Sektion „Soziale Ungleichheit und Sozialstrukturanalyse“, Berlin (Germany). Presentation: "Entgegen aller Erwartungen: Können elterliche Ressourcen fehlende Fähigkeiten kompensieren? Oder gleichen Fähigkeiten und Anstrengungen geringe elterliche Ressourcen aus?", with M. Diewald
• May 2019: 6th pairfam International User Conference, Cologne (Germany). Presentation: "Is there something special about twin families? A compar-ison of parenting styles in twin and non-twin families", with W. Schulz, H. Eichhorn and M. Diewald
• September 2018: Bildungspolitisches Forum, Berlin (Germany). Poster: "Der Zusammenhang von Kita-Qualität und sozio-emotionaler Entwicklung: Ergebnisse einer Zwillingsstudie", with P. S. Schober, C. K. Spiess, M. Diewald
• July 2018: XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Toronto (Canada). Presentation: "Do Parents Treat Children Differently? How Social Stratification and Genes Influence Parental Reactions to Twin’s Birth Weight", with V. Lang and M. Diewald
• October 2017: SLLS Conference, Stirling (UK),
  • Presentation: "The stratification of intergenerational skill transmission: A comparison between the cognitive and the non-cognitive domain", with V. Lang and M. Diewald
  • Presentation: "Opportunities and constraints of substitution between dif-ferent kinds of resources: The case of expected and unexpected educational careers", with M. Diewald, J. Heckhausen, and W. Schulz
• March/April 2017: ISA RC28 Spring Meeting, Cologne (Germany). Presentation: "The stratification of intergenerational skill transmission: A comparison between the cognitive and the non-cognitive domain", with V. Lang and M. Diewald
• October 2015: The Power of the Family, Ede (the Netherlands). Presentation: "Family systems and the timing and spacing of children"
• Mai 2015: ISA RC28 Spring Meeting, Tilburg (the Netherlands). Presentation: "The intergenerational transmission of social inequalities in Sweden – a long term perspective, 1820-1910", with H. Moerbeek, J. Mandemakers and P. Rotering
• Februar 2015: Spring Meeting Section on the Sociology of the Family of the German Sociological Association (GSA), Bielefeld (Germany). Presentation: "Regional variation in intergenerational continuities in childbearing"
• December 2014: Seventh Day of Historical Demography: Family and life chances in Wageningen (the Netherlands). Presentation: "Between economic opportunities and family pressures. Migration decisions of farmers’ children, The Netherlands 1850-1940", with Jan Kok and Kees Mandemakers
• June 2014: Posthumus Conference (NWPC), Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden (the Netherlands). Presentation: "Regional variation in the intergenerational transmission of fertility"
• November 2013: 38th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association (SSHA), Chicago, IL (USA). Presentation: "About apples and trees: studying parent-offspring fertility similarities in different family regimes"
• October 2013: FRESH Meeting, University of Essex (England). Presentation: "Flight from the land? Migration flows of the rural population of The Netherlands, 1850-1940", with Jan Kok and Kees Mandemakers
• November 2012: 37th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association (SSHA), Vancouver (Canada). Presentation: "Family networks and fertility in Europe: an analysis of cohorts born between 1920 and 1960", with Hilde Bras
• September 2012: International Pairfam Conference: ‘Fertility over the Life Course’, Bremen (Germany). Poster: "Family networks and fertility in Europe: an analysis of cohorts born between 1920 and 1960", with Hilde Bras
• August 2011: ISA RC28 Summer Meeting, Iowa City, Iowa (USA). Presentation: "The Social Composition of Educational Groups: Long-Term Trends and the Role of Demographic Factors", with Maarten Buis and Steffen Hillmert
• October 2010: ECSR Conference, Bamberg (Germany). Presentation: "Consequences of educational expansion in Germany on educational attainment in the next generation", with Maarten Buis and Steffen Hillmert