How can we Link NBA Basketball, Physics, and Demography?

Can we predict Steph Curry’s next move on the court?
Last year, Boris Barron started at MPIDR as a research scientist in the Migration and Mobility Department. He is a physicist and specializes in modeling complex systems. While at Cornell University, he and his colleagues developed a methodology to analyze detailed positional information of basketball players in NBA games. Their approach adapted a physics-based approach, Density Functional Fluctuation Theory (DFFT), to provide a general framework to infer subtle aspects of the game. More

June

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June

Onsite-only course

IMPRS-PHDS Elective Course on Data Visualization Design

“Data Visualization Design” is an intensive five-day workshop where participants practice the trade of data visualization. Visualization will be taught as a design process: In order to design effective visualizations, one needs to have a clear communication purpose in mind, know the audience, know a wide range of visualization idioms, be fluent in the tools required to transform imagination into a finished product, and be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the visualization. More

All Events

Research Visit | June 04, 2025

Population and Social Data Science Summer Incubator Program 2025

New Issue 1/2025 available | April 02, 2025

The Quarterly German Newsletter

Introduction to our research groups

Fertility and Well-Being

New Publication | June 11, 2025

Couples with Opposing Political Views Face Higher Risk of Separation

A recent study by researchers at the University of Padua and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) has revealed that political differences between partners can significantly increase the risk of separation. Using long-term data from UK couples, the researchers found that those with different party preferences were substantially more likely to separate than those with the same political beliefs. The risk is particularly high when there are differences of opinion on Brexit. More

Selected Publications

van Raalte, A. A.; Basellini, U.; Camarda, C. G.; Nepomuceno, M. R.; Myrskylä, M.:

The dangers of drawing cohort profiles from period data: a research note Demography, 1–10. (2023)

Conte Keivabu, R.; Cozzani, M.; Wilde, J.:

Temperature and fertility: evidence from Spain Population Studies, 1–15. (2024)

More Publications

Jobs & Fellowships

New articles every week

Questions and Answers

Being a Researcher at the MPIDR

Working at MPIDR

Life & Research in Rostock

Press Release | April 02, 2025

Low Fertility and Economic Sustainability

SPOTLIGHT | March 13, 2025

A Difficult Childhood Increases the Risk of Dying Early

SPOTLIGHT | March 11, 2025

Level of Education and Place of Residence Influence Fertility Rates

Open Access

Online Available Books

June 02, 2025

Rethink Fertility and Gender Inequality in a Changing World

Recap of the “Gender Inequalities, Fertility, and the Future of Family Demography: Intersectionality in an Era of Family Complexity” conference in Rostock: In March 2025, researchers from six continents gathered at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) for the “Gender Inequalities, Fertility, and the Future of Family Demography: Intersectionality in an Era of Family Complexity” conference in Rostock. The scholars came together to debate and advance the understanding of fertility, gender inequality, social stratification, and the growing complexity of family life. More

Recommended Reading | June 20, 2025