Dr. Maria Iacovou

Biography

Maria Iacovou is a Professor of Quantitative Sociology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow at Fitzwilliam College. She holds a BSc in Mathematics from King's College, London, and completed her MSc in Economics and PhD in Economics at London University, focusing on the intersection of education, labor markets, and family dynamics. With over fifteen years of experience, Maria has worked at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex, where she engaged in interdisciplinary research in collaboration with scholars in epidemiology, economics, and sociology. Maria's research interests center on family relationships, including living arrangements and household structures across different countries. She has published extensively on the transition to adulthood and family formation processes, particularly the dynamics surrounding home-leaving and child-bearing decisions. Maria also investigates intra-household relationship quality and its impact on child development, especially concerning infant feeding practices and their cognitive effects. As Director of the Social Sciences Research Methods Programme (SSRMP) from 2015 to 2019, Maria provided essential training in research methodologies to postgraduate students and faculty at Cambridge.

Research Interests

Courses