European Latsis Prize 2011, European

European Latsis Prize 2011 Professor James W. Vaupel “Demography” Presented on the occasion of the Annual Assembly of the European Science Foundation, 23 November 2011 European Latsis Prize 2011 This year’s European Latsis Prize is awarded to Professor James W. Vaupel, of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, for his contributions to research on ageing and lifespan, and his profound influence on demographic research. The European Latsis Prize, valued at 100,000 Swiss Francs (80 000 Euros) is financed by the Geneva-based Latsis Foundation and awarded by the European Science Foundation to individuals or a group who, in the opinion of their peers, have made the greatest contribution to a particular field of research. Professor James W. Vaupel James Vaupel was born in New York, concerned with protecting lives. He was USA, on 2 May 1945, and lives in puzzled by population differences. Kerteminde in Denmark but works in Rostock, Germany where he is the “Even if you take populations of the founding director of the Max Planck same sex, the same age and the same Institute for Demographic Research. country, some people are frail, some He and his wife have two daughters more robust. I developed a model for and one grandson. He is honoured for understanding population heterogeneity a lifetime of groundbreaking research and I walked over to the Duke’s Center into the biology of ageing, the statistics for Demographic Studies and showed it of senescence and the connection to them.” Colleagues at the centre gave between public health and longevity. him some books to read: these became His key papers on mortality and lifespan his academic introduction to an unfamiliar have each been cited many hundreds of science. “I became a demographer by times, and he has been honoured by the publishing a demography article in the Ipsen Foundation in France and twice by journal called Demography in 1979,” he the Population Association of America. says. He is also Professor of Demography and Epidemiology at the Institute of That paper was the first of more than Public Health, University of Southern 300 publications on population studies Denmark and Research Professor at Duke and ageing and it has been cited University’s Population Research Unit. He more than 600 times. Vaupel became is a member of the US National Academy professor of demography at the University of Sciences and the German National of Minnesota, and established an Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. The interdisciplinary research team to examine European Latsis Prize – announced population research from all aspects. in the month that the planet’s human He pioneered the use of biological data population reached 7 billion – highlights from fruit flies, nematode worms and the importance of both the discipline and yeast cells to enhance understanding of his contribution to it. the dynamics of human population. “To understand why we age, it is necessary His studies began with mathematical to understand whether other species age, statistics at Harvard College and then and how they age, and how we fit into international enterprise at Harvard the tree of life, in terms of senescence. Business School; he completed his The interesting finding is that many doctorate at Harvard’s Kennedy School species like humans suffer from severe of Government. He became interested senescence: mortality goes up rapidly in mortality and demography while an when you get to be quite old. But other assistant professor at Duke University, species – many reptiles, fish and trees, and while working part time in Washington for example – don’t show any signs of DC for the Environmental Protection senescence at all.” Agency and other government bodies European Latsis Prize 2011 He founded the Max Planck Institute increasing at the rate of 2.5 years every in Rostock in 1996 and turned it into decade, an outcome that has profound one of the world’s leading centres consequences for health services, social of demographic research. He and policy, careers, savings and national colleagues have looked for lessons economies. Since 1950, death rates have beyond living species: they have tested fallen substantially even for people over tens of thousands of light bulbs to see if the age of 60. He encapsulated this in a senescence is a property of all complex much-quoted phrase: “Live nine months systems. But perhaps his most dramatic and you get three additional months free.” contribution is in the contention that there seems no innate limit to human lifespan: He and colleagues have begun to compile an argument he put with Jim Oeppen in a database of supercentenarians: those Science in 2002. people aged 110 years or more. This has not been easy: elderly people – or their Periodically, he points out, demographers younger relatives – may exaggerate their and actuaries would argue that human age and every claim must be checked life expectancy was nearing a limit and against birth records. “We have managed would probably never be exceeded. to do this for 800 people. Of course, “These ultimate limits were typically the number is doubling about every fi ve within a few years of life expectancy at years, so fi ve years from now it might be the time – and they were on average 1600 and in another fi ve years it might be broken about fi ve years after publication. 3,200,” he says.” Mortality improvements It is a very sorry saga,” he says. “The result from an intricate interplay of actuaries and demographers couldn’t advances in income, sanitation, nutrition, imagine how we could make any further education, medicine and so on. progress in bringing death rates down. But there were always things they didn’t “Since 1950, death rates have come down think of: penicillin, better treatment substantially for people above 60. It really for tuberculosis, better treatment for has been quite amazing. And how has heart disease; things that they didn’t this progress been made? It has not been anticipate, that led to a further rise in life made by stretching the period of ageing. It expectancy.” has been made by delaying senescence. I like to say – based on our research – This has gone up, in the countries doing that 70 year-olds today are as healthy best, at a rate of about three months per as 60 year-olds were 50 years ago. We year. He has demonstrated with a variety are gaining about two additional years of of data, that human senescence has been healthy life every decade.” delayed by a decade, and that maximum age appears to be plastic: that is, it can be extended. In most countries with long life expectancy, life expectancy now is Biographical details Education Honors Employment 1978 2010 October 1996 – current PhD, Kennedy School Honorary Doctor of Civil Founding Director, Max of Government, Harvard Law, Newcastle, United Planck Institute for University, Cambridge, MA, Kingdom Demographic Research, USA. Dissertation: “Early Rostock, Germany 2009 Death: A Policy Analysis of Seneca Medal, Industrieclub 2007 – current the Prospects for Saving Düsseldorf, Germany Director, Max Planck Lives” International Research 2008 1971 Network on Aging Member of the German Master of Public Policy, Academy of Sciences January 2006 – current Kennedy School of Leopoldina, Germany Research Professor, Sanford Government, Harvard Institute, Duke University, University, Cambridge, MA, Fellow of the American Durham, NC, USA USA Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA 2004 – current 1968 Director, Rostocker Zentrum passed Doctoral Mindel C. Sheps Award for zur Erforschung des Examinations, Harvard Mathematical Demography, Demografi schen Wandels, Business School, Boston, Population Association Germany MA, USA of America, USA [Talk by James W. Vaupel] January 1992 – December 1967 2005 B.A., Harvard University, 2004 Senior Research Scientist, Cambridge, MA, USA, Regular Scientifi c Member Sanford Institute, Duke highest honors in of the National Academy of University, Durham, NC, Mathematical Statistics Sciences, USA USA 2003 June 1991 – 2002, January Longevity prize of the Ipsen 2011 – current Foundation, France Professor of Demography 2001 and Epidemiology, Institute Irene B. Taeuber Award of Public Health, University for Lifetime Achievement, of Southern Denmark, Population Association of Odense, Denmark America, USA September 1985 – 1996 December 1991 Scientifi c Member of Professor of Public Affairs the Max Planck Society, and Planning, Humphrey Germany (to date) Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA European Latsis Prize 2011 September 1988 – Selected professional 2002 – current December 1991 service Member, European also Professor of Ancient Association for Population 2009 – current Studies and Adjunct Studies, Committee on Chairman of the Board Professor of Epidemiology, Training in Population of Trustees of Population University of Minnesota, Studies in Europe, Chair of Europe: The European Minneapolis, MN, USA the Council of EAPS Population Partnership July 1984 – December 2002 – current 2009 – 2010 1985, May – August 1983, Rector, International Max Chair, Advisory Board, and September 1981 – Planck Research School for Centre for Population July 1982 Demography Change, United Kingdom Research Scholar, 2000 – current International Institute for 2008 – current “Honorarprofessor” (Full Applied Systems Analysis, Panel Chair, European professor with all rights and Laxenburg, Austria Research Council Starting privileges but with a reduced Grant, European Union 1979 – 1981 teaching load and without Member, Advisory

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