International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE)

Studying the development of human behavior from infancy to old age is at the heart of the LIFE graduate program. LIFE takes an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to identifying, understanding, and improving the mechanisms and conditions that shape the human life course. It actively promotes international networking and communication as an integral part of graduate training. The Berlin-based fellows are recruited from all over the world (e.g., Iran, India, Italy, Lebanon, Turkey, etc.). In addition, four LIFE sites in three countries (Germany, the United States, Switzerland) located on either side of the Atlantic guarantee a graduate education with a strong emphasis on international exchange and collaboration.

Co-Speakers: Ulman Lindenberger, MPI for Human Development; Clemens Tesch-Römer, German Centre of Gerontology (Associate Co-Speaker); Toni C. Antonucci, University of Michigan; Jacqui Smith, University of Michigan (Associate Co-Speaker); Steven M. Boker, University of Virginia; Angeline M. Lillard, University of Virginia (Associate Co-Speaker); Moritz Daum, University of Zurich; Alexandra M. Freund, University of Zurich (Associate Co-Speaker)

Program Manager: Imke Kruse, MPI for Human Development

Coordinators: Silke Schäfer, MPI for Human Development; Karen Johnson, University of Virginia

Newsletter Editor: Julia A. M. Delius, MPI for Human Development

LIFE is all about the development of human behavior from infancy to old age. LIFE is a joint international PhD program of the MPI for Human Development, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and the University of Zurich. LIFE was established in 2002 and reached the nominal maximum period of 18 years of funding by the Max Planck Society in 2019. Upon positive review, a new six-year funding period started in 2020, with continued involvement of all four sites.

LIFE takes an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to identifying, understanding, and possibly ameliorating the mechanisms and conditions that shape the human life course. LIFE unifies a wide range of disciplines from the behavioral, computational, social, and neurosciences. The research of individual fellows is anchored within specific disciplines and their training is enriched by exposure to an international and interdisciplinary context that actively promotes the lifespan perspective.

The target groups of LIFE are graduate students who have completed their M.A. or a comparable degree, share an interest in the human life course, and intend to pursue a doctorate in one of the disciplines represented in LIFE (computer science, economics, educational science, neuroscience, psychology, and sociology). As a collaborative research school, LIFE offers students a unique educational experience: academic training in their area of specialization that is enriched by interdisciplinary and international perspectives.

Collaboration among the participating institutions has been close and extensive since the program’s inception. The semiannual academies, in which fellows and faculty from the four LIFE sites participate, are the beating heart of the international LIFE program. About 40 fellows typically attend the academies, and most of them present their dissertation research either as a poster or in a talk, with ample time for discussion with faculty and co-fellows. In addition, roughly 35 faculty members from all sites and a few local alumni, as well as one or two guest speakers from other institutions, participate in each academy. Each time, the graduating alumni also join the group to celebrate their LIFE Commencement. Each fellow participates in four academies.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated several adaptations of the standard LIFE curriculum; four academies were carried out virtually and one semi-virtually before a fully in-person event could be held again in Berlin in October 2022. The opportunity was taken to celebrate the 20th LIFE Anniversary with fellows and faculty as well as members of the first LIFE cohort, who started the program in 2002 (see Figures 1 & 2).

The LIFE exchanges, or research stays at a LIFE site abroad, are usually the other core element of international collaboration. Over the years, these exchanges have triggered an impressive number of collaborative research projects among fellows as well as fellows and faculty members from different sites and institutions. In the reporting period, the pandemic obviously limited the opportunities for exchanges, but three fellows were able to visit another LIFE site.

LIFE fellows in Berlin normally participate in a special program of weekly seminars each semester. On a rotational basis, the topics are designed to give a broad overview of research and theory in the biology, psychology, sociology, and education of the life course. The seminars are usually held at the MPI for Human Development, taught throughout the academic year by a varying team of faculty from the three Berlin institutions, and also include invited lectures by external faculty. Again, several seminars needed to be held online, and a new format was established, namely the LIFE Theory Lab, an open lecture series on contemporary theorizing, methodological advancements, and future challenges for lifespan developmental science. The lectures were given by invited international experts and were open to a wide audience across the academic community.

Table 1. LIFE Academies 2020–2022

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Table 2. International LIFE Community (as of 03/2023)

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Table 3. LIFE Seminars and Workshops 2020–2023, Berlin

Freie Universität Berlin (FU), MPI for Human Development (MPIB), University of Virginia (UVA), University of Zurich (UZH). Events in italics were optional.
* Virtual events

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Table 4. Berlin LIFE Fellows’ Dissertation Projects (as of 03/2023)

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Dresden (DZNE), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), MPI for Human Development (MPIB).

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Table 5. LIFE Faculty Members at the MPIB or With MPIB Affiliation (as of 02/2023)

Note that Nicolas W. Schuck and Markus Werkle-Bergner are LIFE alumni, that is, they completed their graduate training within LIFE.