September 04, 2025 | News | Congratulations

Marília Nepomuceno Awarded ERC Starting Grant to Rethink Human Longevity

Marília Nepomuceno from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) has been awarded a prestigious ERC Starting Grant worth €1.5 million for a groundbreaking project on human longevity in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr Marília Nepomunceno has received an ERC Starting Grant worth €1.5 million. © MPIDR/Wilhelm

The project pushes the field of human longevity by systematically assessing the empirical and theoretical mechanisms behind survival at older ages in regions often overlooked by longevity research.

Dr. Nepomuceno’s project challenges long-standing demographic theories on mortality transition, which have largely been based on the experience of today’s high-income countries.

"Most existing demographic theories have been developed based on the experiences of today's high-income countries. However, the context in which low- and middle-income countries find themselves differs from the historical and current experiences of high-income countries. I see these differences not as limitations, but as opportunities to advance our knowledge of old-age mortality around the globe and pave the way for new theories," explains the researcher.

The need for this research is clear: Population aging is advancing at an unprecedented rate in low- and middle-income countries. In the coming decades, one in three older people worldwide will live in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, reaching an impressive number of 700 million people living in these regions.

“It is crucial to understand how, when, and under what circumstances old individuals in low- and middle-income countries will die. Only then can we adequately prepare for the health and social challenges of aging populations in these regions,” says Dr. Nepomuceno, emphasizing her motivation.

Dr. Marília Nepomuceno is a researcher and the deputy head of training at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). She is an expert on mortality and health in old age, the centenarian population, and data quality in low- and middle-income countries.

“No one achieves such goals alone. I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to my academic career, especially at Cedeplar at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, and the European Doctoral School of Demography,” says Dr. Nepomuceno.

The ERC was established by the European Union in 2007 and is Europe's leading funding organization for excellent pioneering research. It supports innovative researchers of all nationalities and ages who carry out projects across Europe. The ERC offers four main funding programs: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, and Synergy Grants. With the additional Proof of Concept Grants program, the ERC supports its grantees in bridging the gap between their pioneering research and the early stages of commercialization. The ERC is governed by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. The ERC's total budget for the period 2021-2027 is more than €16 billion and is part of the Horizon Europe program.