The Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and Oxford in Berlin are part of a winning consortium to develop the Einstein Center for Population Diversity. Funded by the Einstein Foundation, the new centre will become a leading institution in biosocial research.
Migration, an ageing population and new ways of working and caring, present huge challenges and opportunities for European societies. The new centre, part of the Einstein Foundation’s 8.2 million euros of funding to expand their research portfolio in Berlin, will study the complex relations of population diversity with social inequality and health disparities.
This interdisciplinary collaboration brings together leaders in social and health sciences across Berlin and Oxford, including members of the Berlin University Alliance, the University of Oxford, and the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science.
Together, they will investigate various biosocial factors that drive inequalities in population and family diversity such as physical and mental health, educational attainment, and income. Oxford’s participation is led by Professor Melinda Mills, whose bio-demography group within the Leverhulme Centre will play a vital role in identifying the biosocial mechanisms that drive population diversity.
Professor Mills, Director of the Demographic Science Unit and the Leverhulme Centre, and one of eleven Principal Investigators for the new centre adds, ‘Oxford is excited to be part of this ambitious and interdisciplinary centre to improve our understanding of population diversity through our expertise in biosocial health, and the interaction of genetics and biomarkers with population and family diversity.’
The new centre will also open up new opportunities for early career researchers to advance the study of population diversity and work alongside experts in the field. Dr Maike Bohn, Managing Director of the University of Oxford in Berlin said, ‘We look forward to offering these talented researchers the platform to identify and address inequalities across Europe, driving meaningful progress in biosocial research, and ultimately benefiting society and families.’
The Einstein Centre for Population Diversity will launch in early 2024. Follow the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, Twitter @OxfordDemSci, and LinkedIn for further updates.
