January 22, 2025 | News
Research School at the MPIDR to Become a Permanent Institution
Review of the 6th Annual Academy of the IMPRS-PHDS in December 2024
The International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS) has been made permanent by the Max Planck Society. The decision was announced at the Annual Academy, which took place from 4 to 6 December 2024.

Around 100 participants attended the 2024 Annual Academy at the MPIDR in December. © MPIDR/Schulz
"The IMPRS-PHDS has established itself as a magnet for talented doctoral researchers, especially from abroad. The close supervision, the integration into a strong network of leading international partner institutions and the low dropout rates are testimony to an excellent training concept. The flexible curriculum combines methodological excellence with in-depth content and provides an ideal foundation for a successful academic career. The close cooperation with top-class partners such as the University of Rostock, Helsinki, Oxford and other renowned institutions enriches the programme in a unique way," says Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society, explaining the consolidation of the Max Planck Research School.
"The news from Munich was of course a nice way to end the year and creates a sustainable basis for the successful continuation of the Research School," explains Heiner Maier, coordinator of the IMPRS-PHDS. The IMPRS-PHDS is a three-year doctoral programme that combines demography, epidemiology and data science. The school provides doctoral researchers not only with advanced knowledge in theory and methods of demography and epidemiology, but also with in-depth technical skills in statistics, mathematical modelling, and computer and data management methods. It does not charge tuition fees and admits approximately 15 to 20 doctoral researchers each year. There are currently 83 PhD students enrolled in the programme. A further 31 have already successfully completed the programme.
Founded in 2019, the school is supported by the Max Planck Society, the two core partners MPIDR and the University of Rostock, and ten associated institutions. "The decision to make the school permanent underlines the high quality and international reputation of our joint research school. The close cooperation with renowned partner institutions such as Duke University, Oxford or the University of Pennsylvania, combined with excellent supervision, creates an inspiring environment for our doctoral researchers, who are optimally supported," says Professor Nicole Wrage-Mönnig, Prorector for Research, Talent Development and Equal Opportunities at the University of Rostock.
Annual Academy 2024
The Annual Academy provides a platform for IMPRS-PHDS doctoral students and their supervisors to share current research progress and discuss future projects. At the sixth edition of the meeting, in addition to celebrating the consolidation of the Research School, the programme included numerous formats, such as student short talks, network meetings, poster presentations, lightning talks, research updates and faculty lectures.
The most successful posters were also awarded. This year, Ana Cristina Gómez Ugarte Valerio, Parth Pandya, Courtney Allen and Chiara Micheletti were delighted to receive the Best Poster Award:
- Ana Cristina Gómez Ugarte Valerio: “Combining Individual- and Population-Level Data to Derive Education-Specific Mortality Rates for Mexico”
- Parth Pandya: “Occupational Status Differences among Immigrants and Descendants in the United Kingdom: A Comparative Study”
- Courtney Allen: “The Racial Mortality Gap After Hospital Desegregation: The Case of Mississippi, 1965-1970”
- Chiara Micheletti: “Multistate Distributions and Morbidity Compression: Advancing the Debate on Ageing and Health”

Chiara Micheletti, Parth Pandya, Courtney Allen and Ana Cristina Ugarte Valerio (from left) were honoured with the Best Poster Award at the Annual Academy. © MPIDR/Wilhelm
A particular highlight was the alumni panel discussion chaired by Lara Bister. Here, doctoral researchers had the opportunity to interact with graduates of the programme and share valuable experiences. During the Academy, the new PhD graduates of the programme were also presented with their certificates. Last year, Maria Gültzow, Anastasia Lam, Nienke Boderie, Xinyi Zhao, Ruth Wygle, Eugenio Paglino, Aasli Abdi Nur, Lara Bister, Steffen Peters, Yasmin Mertehikian, Benson John, Peter Dorey and Rok Hrzic successfully completed the IMPRS-PHDS.
This year's Annual Academy will take place from 3 to 5 December 2025. The MPIDR and the IMPRS-PHDS look forward to an exciting year 2025 and a lively exchange in December.

Eugenio Paglino, Peter Dorey, Lara Bister, Sofia Gil-Clavel and Steffen Peters have successfully completed their doctorates within the IMPRS-PHDS. © MPIDR/Wilhelm

The IMPRS-PHDS also saw the successful graduation of Xinyi Zhao and Aasli Abdi Nur. Both completed their PhDs. © MPIDR/Wilhelm