The 2025 LIFE Fall Academy took place from 13 to 16 October in Zurich
bringing together around 70 fellows and faculty from Germany, the US, and Switzerland. Over four intensive days, participants shared and discussed their research in an atmosphere of openness, curiosity, and collaboration.
The program featured 5 faculty lectures, 15 fellow talks, and 24 fellow posters, highlighting the breadth and depth of developmental research represented within LIFE. The International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE) is a collaborative international PhD program jointly run by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and the UZH.
LIFE aims to advance our understanding of human development across the entire lifespan-from infancy to old age-by examining how behaviour is shaped within its physical, social, and cultural contexts. The program takes an integrative and interdisciplinary perspective to uncover the mechanisms, institutions, and conditions that influence the course of human lives.
The International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE)