November 19, 2025 | News | New Position

New Max Planck Research Group on Reproductive Ageing

Interview with Susie Lee, Leader of the newly forming Research Group

For over 50 years, Max Planck Research Groups have been a key source of support for junior scientists. They provide postdoctoral researchers with first-rate support to help them advance in their scientific careers. The selection procedure for Group Leader positions is rigorous. Susie Lee, research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), is one of the successful applicants. She will lead a research group to study reproductive ageing.

The new research group will investigate various indicators of female and male reproductive ageing, from puberty, infertility, to menopause, as well as outcomes of reproductive ageing such as parental age effects. © iStockphoto.com / kate_sept2004

Susie Lee applied for the Max Planck Research Group Call in September 2024. She was one of the successful candidates awarded the opportunity to lead her own team of researchers investigating 'Reproductive Ageing'. Susie Lee will base her group at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock. The team will begin work on 1 April 2026. She is currently looking for candidates to join her team.

What is the core research topic of your group?

My research group starts from the premise that our reproductive functions change over the life course, hence reproductive ageing. Understanding variations in the pace and impact of reproductive ageing from a demographic perspective, is a core topic of our research group. Various indicators of reproductive ageing, from puberty, infertility, to menopause in case of menstruating individuals, as well as outcomes of reproductive ageing such as parental age effects will be studied. 

Why is it important to investigate reproductive ageing?

Ambitions to slow down reproductive ageing and to counteract its negative consequences are high. But there is still a prevailing view that reproductive ageing unfolds at a similar pace across individuals and is largely confined to females. But existing literature already indicates a large heterogeneity in the pace of reproductive ageing beyond genetic differences, and the clear presence and significance of male reproductive ageing. We want to take steps further and generate new evidence to answer ‘why’ pace of reproductive ageing differs between individuals and populations, and ‘how’ male reproductive ageing affects offspring outcomes.

How will your research group approach the topic differently from existing research?

Reproductive ageing is heart to major demographic trends such as delayed parenthood and longer lifespan. Yet, reproductive ageing has so far been taken as a biological constant that is often only relevant to women. Casting a demographic perspective on reproductive ageing, we will take a deep dive into understanding the variations in reproductive ageing, their causes and consequences, across genders and populations.

What motivates you to study reproductive ageing?

Trained in biological/evolutionary anthropology, fascination and appreciation of biosocial nature of human fertility have motivated my research. As a demographer, I also find myself always driven to obtaining population-level insights. In the end, I hope the research group contributes by bridging biological and social sciences, where exciting recent advances in reproduction, ageing and health research have been made, but so far largely disjointed.