We study the structure and dynamics of populations and explore issues of political relevance, such as aging, fertility, and the redistribution of work over the life course, as well as digitization and the use of new data sources for the estimation of migration flows.
PHD | June 12, 2026
Congratulations, Rishabh Tyagi!
Rishabh Tyagi successfully defended his dissertation, "The Disparate Effects of Employment Uncertainty on Life Course Outcomes," at the University of Oslo. In his thesis, he demonstrates that experiencing employment uncertainty due to job loss, unemployment, or workplace closures leads to negative health and family outcomes in Germany, Norway, and India. More
June
11
–
17
Onsite-only course
IMPRS-PHDS elective course on Microsimulation in Fertility Research
This course provides a hands-on introduction to microsimulation techniques for demographic research, with a specific focus on fertility modeling. It is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical demographic concepts and their computational implementation. More
All Events
Research Visit
Population and Social Data Science Summer Incubator Program 2026
Recommended Readings | April 02, 2026
Family Complexity Influences Health in Mid-Adulthood
Introduction to our research groups
Migration and Mobility
Press Release | April 23, 2026
Men Have Fewer Children Than Women
Researchers investigated whether men or women have fewer children. Using international datasets, they demonstrate that imbalances in population structure, particularly an increasing proportion of men, affect male fertility. While men used to have higher fertility than women globally, this has reversed, and women have and will have a higher fertility rate than men. The scientists offer recommendations to counteract the social implications of this trend. More
Selected Publications
Dańko, M. J.; Wiśniowski, A.; Jasilionis, D.; Jdanov, D. A.; Zagheni, E.:
Assessing the quality of data on international migration flows in Europe: the case of undercounting Migration Studies 12:2, 1–21. (2024)
Basellini, U.:
Open science practices in demographic research: an appraisal Demographic Research 50:43, 1265–1280. (2024)
More Publications
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Life & Research in Rostock
New Issue 1/2026 available | March 31, 2026
The Quarterly German Newsletter
A peer-reviewed, open-access journal of population sciences
News | April 21, 2026
The Future of Education: Max Planck Society Starts Interdisciplinary Research Project “EduTrack”
Doctoral Program
International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science
Award | June 06, 2026
Mikko Myrskylä Receives 2026 Dirk J. Van de Kaa Award for Outstanding Contributions to Demography
Mikko Myrskylä, director of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), received the 2026 Dirk J. Van de Kaa Award for Population Studies at the European Population Conference 2026 (EPC2026) closing ceremony in Bologna. Presented by the European Association for Population Studies (EAPS), the award honors outstanding scientific achievements in population studies. More