Matilda Gosling is a social scientist and independent researcher with a particular interest in social psychology. She also researches issues affecting children and young people, including education and child development. She has worked for governments, charities, foundations and businesses. Matilda previously co-founded and ran an international social research consultancy for 12 years. She has overseen field research in more than 60 countries. 

Matilda has degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. She lives in Brighton with her partner and two children.

Matilda Gosling is a social scientist and independent researcher with a particular interest in social psychology. She also researches issues affecting children and young people, including education and child development. She has over 20 years’ experience delivering research for a wide range of governments, charities, foundations and businesses: current and former clients include the International Labour Organization, the Government of Chile, the British Council, Save the Children, Pearson, the Mastercard Foundation and the Universities of Cambridge, York and Sheffield.  

Matilda researches across the social sciences, with a particular specialism in conducting research on sensitive topics and belief systems, as well as education, skills and child development. Her skills include research design and management, literature reviews, policy analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, evidence synthesis, monitoring and evaluation, and training/presenting. Matilda previously co-founded and ran an international social research consultancy for 12 years. She has overseen field research in more than 60 countries. 

Evidence-Based Parenting was her first book and was published on 25 January 2024 by Swift Press. Her second book, Teenagers: The Evidence Base, will be published on 30 January 2025, also by Swift Press.

Matilda grew up on Osea Island in Essex. She has degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics, and spent some time after university teaching English in Ecuador, Thailand and India. She is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society, a Member of the Social Research Association and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. 

She lives in Brighton with her partner and two children. In her free time, she likes to read, cook, run, lift weights, paint and travel.

Matilda can talk about child and adolescent development, parenting and mental health from the perspective of her two books: Teenagers: The Evidence Base and Evidence-Based Parenting. Areas of expertise relevant to teenagers include parent-teenager relationships, including managing conflict; other connections, including friendships, love and desire, and the online world; mood and maturity; mental health and resilience; risk and reward, including reasons that teenagers take risks, sex and porn, drink and drugs, and managing risky behaviour, and how to equip a future adult. For younger children, she can discuss relationships, health, behaviour, learning and play, and happiness and well-being.

She can also discuss areas that she has covered in her broader work as a social researcher. These include issues of sex and gender, including gender identity in teenagers; mental health, including lesbian well-being; equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace; and skills development. 

Matilda has experience writing features, being on panel discussions, being interviewed on podcasts, and presenting at conferences and other events.

Interview on The Lesbian Project podcast: Spotify link and Apple Podcast link

Opinion piece in The Critic: The Problem with EDI

Teenagers: The Evidence Base deftly summarises decades of research and expert knowledge to offer parents and other interested adults a roadmap to adolescence.

It weaves together insights from fields including social and experimental psychology, neuroscience, family systems and adolescent development, equipping readers with a clear understanding of what it means to be a teenager today: how they develop, the hazard points and opportunities, and how best to support them as they navigate their labyrinthine and very personal route to adulthood.

This practical, engaging guide is essential for any adult wanting to understand the turbulence, creativity and brilliance of the teenage years.

Publication date: 30 January 2025

Reviews

‘An amazing resource, meticulously researched and full of wise and interesting advice.’ – Professor Suzanne Franks, author of Get Out of My Life… But First Take Me & Alex Into Town

‘A tour de force.’ – Professor Peter Fonagy OBE CBE, National Clinical Advisor on Children’s Mental Health, NHS England

‘Highly recommended for its compelling blend of research and real-world application.’ – Dr Bettina Hohnen, author of The Incredible Teenage Brain

‘Brilliant… Turns the teenage years into a period of growth and connection.’ Stella O’Malley, author of What Your Teen is Trying to Tell You

‘Rigorous, warm and witty… Highly recommended.’ Victoria Smith, author of Hags

‘Navigating the hurdles before we stumble over them is always a wise move. Teenagers: The Evidence Base will help parents and grandparents to do just that.’ Sharron Davies, Olympian and author of Unfair Play

‘A brilliant, must-have book.’ Milli Hill, author of The Positive Birth Book

‘Entertaining… Perfect for all of those times we find ourselves in need of guidance.’ Rachel Richards, host of Teenagers Untangled

A search for ‘parenting’ returns over a billion unique hits on Google. How can parents know which approaches actually work to support their children to be happy, healthy and fulfilled while maintaining their own sanity?

Evidence-Based Parenting draws directly on more than one thousand studies, and indirectly on thousands more, to create a single evidence base and reference manual for parents. This vast knowledge base has been condensed, for the first time, into straightforward ideas to support children’s relationships, physical health, learning and play, behaviour, and happiness and well-being.

Publication date: 25 January 2024

Reviews 

‘So useful… Extremely well researched.’ The Times

‘The book that every parent needs.’ Stella O’Malley, author of Bully-Proof Kids.

‘Clear and rooted in facts rather than opinion – an essential book for every parent.’ Milli Hill, author of The Positive Birth Book

‘Written with both genuine empathy and a wish to communicate to parents about how to be “good enough” and enjoy family life.’ Professor Ellie Lee, Director of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies