May 19, 2026 | News | PHD

Congratulations, Isabella Marinetti!

Isabella Marinetti from the Laboratory of Demographic Data at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), successfully defended her doctoral thesis, “Effects of short-term events on mortality in Europe “, at the University of Groningen. Her findings contribute to our understanding of how short-term events such as seasonality and the COVID-19 pandemic shape mortality patterns and life expectancy across Europe in the 21st century.

A group of people is standing in three rows on a large staircase. Isabella Marinetti is standing in the front row, proudly holding a certificate.

Isabella Marinetti successfully defended her doctoral thesis. © private

In her thesis Isabella shows that both seasonal excess mortality and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced life expectancy, with major differences observed between countries and regions. Using a novel methodological framework alongside detailed weekly and monthly demographic data, she reveals that winter mortality is a persistent and substantial driver of excess deaths. Her findings also show that short-term mortality shocks do not alter long-term mortality trends. Overall, Isabella’s research provides important evidence for public health and climate adaptation policies by identifying vulnerable populations and regions where targeted interventions can reduce mortality burdens and health inequalities in ageing European societies.

Isabella Marinetti was part of the International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS), a doctoral program combining demography, epidemiology and data science. The dissertation was supervised by Dmitri Jdanov and Fanny Janssen (University of Groningen/NIDI).

Isabella Marinetti sitzt an einem Tisch in einer imposanten Halle und zeigt mit beiden Händen das Peace-Zeichen. Neben ihr stehen zwei Freunde, die sich sehr mit ihr freuen.