It is our pleasure to announce that IIASA Interim Deputy Director General for Science, Wolfgang Lutz, has been elected as the 2024 International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) Laureate in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the field of population and service to the IUSSP.
© Silveri | IIASA
The IUSSP endeavors to promote the scientific study of population, encourage exchange between researchers around the globe, and stimulate interest in population issues. With a career spanning several decades, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of population studies and policy.
Lutz's has a long history with the IUSSP. He first joined the union in 1983, the year he earned his PhD in Demography from the University of Pennsylvania. His commitment to the union was unwavering, and his tenure as the IUSSP Secretary General from 1998-2001 marked a critical period of transformation. Faced with challenges such as discontinued government support and changes in leadership, Lutz spearheaded a comprehensive review of IUSSP activities. This led to a successful reorganization, relocating the headquarters from Liège to Paris and securing vital long-term support from the French government.
As colleagues and peers attest in the nomination letter published on the union’s website, Lutz's 2021 publication, Advanced Introduction to Demography, stands as a testament to his influential career. Joel Cohen of Rockefeller University and Columbia University recognizes Wolfgang's place among the world's most influential demographers, citing decades of pioneering empirical research, theoretical exploration, and institutional leadership. John Weeks of San Diego State University, an authority in population textbooks, in turn commends Lutz for creating a unified demographic theory that incorporates education into the global demographic perspective.
IIASA wholeheartedly congratulates Wolfgang Lutz on this exceptional achievement. His legacy will undoubtedly continue to shape the future of demography for generations to come.
The Laureate Award ceremony will be held in virtual format, most probably in June 2024.
Read the announcement on the IUSSP website:
https://iussp.org/en/wolfgang-lutz-elected-2024-iussp-laureate
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