How do we identify exceptional talent, and then create the conditions for it to flourish? Those questions brought researchers from around the world to Rome this October for the 2026 Talent Economics Conference. Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development's Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, and David Lubinski, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology Emeritus and professor emeritus of psychology and human development, joined the discussions and shared their expertise with guests.
"Peabody's mission-driven work seeks to discover how people learn, develop and thrive," Benbow said. "It was exciting to highlight how that same commitment can deepen our understanding of highly talented individuals and help them reach their potential on the global stage."
Organized by the Global Talent Fund and the Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance, the conference gathered leading researchers to advance an emerging field at the intersection of economics, psychology and education. Conversations explored the development of STEM talent, how to identify high-potential young people earlier and more often, and the ways that high-achieving individuals contribute to scientific discovery, innovation and economic growth.
Those themes closely intersect with the work of Benbow and Lubinski, whose longitudinal research through Vanderbilt's Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth examines the development of academically gifted individuals from childhood through adulthood.
Benbow and Lubinski were featured together in Rome Dialogues II, a keynote event that closed the conference on Oct. 23. Lubinski also led "The Psychology of Intellectual Talent," a masterclass for early-career researchers, during a workshop preceding the conference.
For the class, Lubinski presented data showing that the top 1 percent of specific cognitive abilities (mathematical, spatial and verbal reasoning) contains over one-third of the ability range. "Individual differences in the level and patten of the many different constellations of intellectual talent that they form engender qualitatively different educational, occupational and creative outcomes that are quite exceptional," he said.
The event spotlighted Peabody's leadership in a field drawing growing attention across disciplines and around the world. Through decades of research, Benbow and Lubinski have helped build the evidence base for understanding talent development-work that continues to inform new research, new collaborations and global conversations.
