The POPJUS Program continues and builds upon research activities previously undertaken in the IIASA World Population and Risk and Resilience programs. Insights into current and future population sizes, structures, and distributions are fundamental to understanding human impacts on ecosystems and simultaneously, the impact of environmental changes on human wellbeing differentiated by sub-populations.

The program’s research agenda embraces the key priority in the IIASA strategic plan by identifying sustainable development challenges and exploring people-centric systems solutions for sustainable, resilient, just and equitable societies. The program focuses on strengthening the human-centered and population-based approach, taking into consideration equity and the just distribution of opportunities, outcomes, and processes. In doing so, the program builds on existing strengths and expertise in population and human capital modeling as well as expertise in understanding, managing, and equitably governing systemic and existential risks associated with global change. The program will continue to invest in advancing its methods, approaches, and data to deliver results that can be incorporated into system analytical models, inclusive policy processes, and ultimately into equitable and effective policy pathways and transformations. 

POPJUS Research Groups

EQU

Equity and Justice (EQU)

The EQU Group focuses on the human dimension of selected globally relevant policy challenges, with the aim of delineating and advancing their analysis, management, and governance with special attention paid to the design and application of equity and justice frameworks, both within the group and across IIASA.

MIG

Migration and Sustainable Development (MIG)

MIG focuses on applying advanced data collection and estimation methods to quantify and better understand the trends, patterns, drivers, and consequences of different types of migration considering its interactions with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

MDM

Multidimensional Demographic Modeling (MDM)

Through its research, the MDM Group aims to advance demographic modeling methods to assess and forecast population dynamics with a focus on demographic and spatial heterogeneity under different socioeconomic scenarios at the global, national, and sub-national level.

SHAW

Social Cohesion, Health, and Wellbeing (SHAW)

The SHAW Group’s research activities directly and comprehensively addresses the measurement of human wellbeing in its multiple dimensions with a special focus on health as a key component and social cohesion as a key determinant of wellbeing.

Young Scientists Summer Program

The Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) at IIASA offers an exceptional opportunity for PhD students to engage in collaborative research with IIASA's interdisciplinary teams.

YSSP opportunities in POPJUS          More information on applying to the YSSP

Wittgenstein Centre

POPJUS is one of the three pillars of The Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, a collaboration among the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the University of Vienna.

Read POPNET Newsletter          WIC Report of Activities 2018–2022

Models, tools, datasets

stakeholder groups

Social and Policy Simulations

Population of the world

Wittgenstein Centre Human Capital Data & Graphic Explorer Version 3.0 (WCDE)

Population

POPULATION AND HUMAN CAPITAL PROJECTIONS (SSP 2023)

EU flags

Demographic scenarios for the EU

Projects

Wildfire

Systems approach to EU wildfire risk management project (FIRELOGUE)

handshaking in modern open green work space

Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES)

grandparents using tablet

Cognitive health in aging society – The role of context for cognitive functioning and related policy implications in Europe (CHIAS)

People figurines on a map of Western Europe

Policy REcommendations to Maximise the beneficial Impact of Unexplored Mobilities in and beyond the European Union (PREMIUM_EU)

Staff

Placeholder, because no staff image is available

Jan Sendzimir

Guest Research Scholar (EQU)

Samir K.C. profile picture

Samir K.C.

Senior Research Scholar (MDM, MIG)

Guillaume Marois profile picture

Guillaume Marois

Research Scholar (MDM)

Julia Beier profile picture

Julia Beier

Researcher (EQU)

News

LifetimeAwards2024

05 December 2024

Four distinguished scholars receive the IIASA Lifetime Achievement Award

This year, the award is granted to four researchers: Markus Amann, Joanne Linnerooth-Bayer, Sten Nilsson, and Sergei Scherbov, whose pioneering work has not only guided the global political discourse in the fields of demography, climate change, and the environment but also shaped IIASA as the international hub for systems analysis.
A-LEVERS

03 December 2024

A-LEVERS workshop brings together climate change adaptation experts

As part of the A-LEVERS project, experts on climate change met in-person in Vienna to create feasible portfolios of adaptation measures to key climatic risks in Austria
CPDRC Delegation Visit

27 November 2024

Delegation from the China Population and Development Research Center visits IIASA

Earlier this month, the institute welcomed a delegation from the China Population and Development Research Center (CPDRC), a leading population research institution in China. Researchers from the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program (POPJUS) and CPDRC discussed declining fertility rates in China and future cooperation.

Focus

Older mother hugging her little girl on couch in livingroom

11 November 2024

Why are people waiting longer to start a family? Exploring the trends, challenges, and choices behind delayed parenthood

Ahead of the Wittgenstein Centre Conference 2024 on Delayed Reproduction: Challenges and Prospects, which is set to take place from 21-22 November, researchers from the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program, the Vienna Institute of Demography, and the University of Vienna look into the shifting trends, drivers, and consequences of delayed parenthood.

Modern city with eco-friendly architecture: green facades, rooftop gardens, integrated public transportation systems, and urban design prioritizing climate resilience

04 September 2024

The role of urban green spaces as nature-based solutions in Korea and Germany

Imagine a city where every neighborhood has lush green spaces that not only beautify the area but also improve the quality of life for its residents. How can we work together to make this vision a reality? Jaewon Son, a participant in the 2024 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program shares insights into this important question.

Publications