December 09, 2025 | News | New Faces at MPIDR

Welcome Aijie Zhang!

Aijie Zhang is the new doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). © MPIDR/Schulz

The Laboratory of Fertility and Wellbeing welcomes Aijie Zhang as a PhD student. Her doctoral research will focus on fertility dynamics and patterns in high-income countries. She joins us after completing her Master's degree in Economics at the University of Bonn. Beyond this primary focus, her academic interests also include institutions, gender, inequality and criminology.

Which question motivates your research the most?
Although my research is based in empirical social science, the questions that motivate me always stem from political philosophy and ethics. The following questions are always at the forefront of my mind: What constitutes a just society? How do people act under different institutional incentives? How does society function, and what is the logic behind it? This is why I am especially excited about my current research on fertility dynamics. I believe it is one of the key areas for understanding how society operates, what the future might look like and how we can design institutions that promote well-being.

Why did you choose MPIDR as your new employer, and what are you looking forward to most as you start working here?
I chose MPIDR because it offers a supportive team and an intellectually stimulating environment. I believe it will provide a solid foundation for my research career. Most of all, I am looking forward to the opportunity to interact with my colleagues, learn about their research motivations, experiences and life stories. I have already had the chance to talk to some of them and can see that there are many like-minded people here, which makes me even more excited to join.

Where are you from? What do you miss most about home? 
I’m originally from Yunnan in China, a region known for its ethnic diversity. There's always plenty of fresh food and a wide variety of cooking styles. What I miss the most are the food and the winter sunshine.

What do you like about Rostock?
I think living here will give me more opportunities to learn German and explore microhistory. I’ve always been interested in contemporary history, and being in Rostock means I can hear local family stories from the last century. And since I love the sea and the islands, I’m really looking forward to spring and summer.

What is your favourite and least favourite part of work?
My favourite part is definitely satisfying my curiosity by asking questions, exploring ideas and finding evidence that helps me to understand the world a little better. As for the least enjoyable part of my daily routine, I’d probably say data cleaning. It is necessary, but not the most exciting aspect of the job. On a broader level, if I were to study academia itself as a research topic, I believe I would find areas that could be improved. That’s probably my answer from a more macro point of view.

What are you obsessed with at the moment besides demography?
Cats or pets in general? I find the bond between humans and animals really fascinating. The bond is non-verbal, yet animals seem to sense affection and connection in a very intuitive way. If any of my colleagues ever need someone to look after their pets while they're away, they can always contact me. That's my little advertisement, haha!