How to Find Experts on Population Europe

Updated

Population Europe lists its experts in the Discover Our Experts section of the site. Each entry gives a name, a role, and an institutional affiliation, so you can scan the list for a researcher whose field matches your topic and then look up that person through their home institution. The section covers demography, family sociology, fertility, migration, and population health, with affiliations including UNECE, the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, and several European universities.

What the expert listings contain

Each profile in Discover Our Experts follows the same basic pattern:

  • Name — the researcher's full name, often with a title (Prof. Dr., Dr., etc.)
  • Role — their position, such as Chief of a UN unit, Principal Investigator, or Full Professor
  • Affiliation — the institution and department they work with

Examples from the current listing:

Expert Role Affiliation
Lisa Warth Chief, Population Unit United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Sustainable Development and Population Division
Prof. Dr. Vegard Skirbekk Principal Investigator (Oslo); Professor of Population and Family Health Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health; Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Prof. Dr. Renske Keizer Full Professor, Family Sociology Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Nicole Hiekel Leader, Independent Max Planck Research Group "Gender Inequalities and Fertility" Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Prof. Dr. Dr.hc. Naika Foroutan Professor; Director Humboldt University Berlin; Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM)
Dr. Tom Emery Associate Professor Erasmus University (listing continues beyond the visible excerpt)

How to use the section to find the right person

  1. Match the topic to the role or group name. If you need someone on fertility, for instance, the group title "Gender Inequalities and Fertility" points directly to Dr. Nicole Hiekel. For family structures, a "Family Sociology" chair such as Prof. Dr. Renske Keizer is the closer fit.
  2. Check the affiliation for scope. UNECE and Max Planck entries signal international or research-institute work; university entries signal academic departments. This helps if you need a policy-facing or an academic contact.
  3. Note that profiles are short. The listing gives position and institution rather than contact details or publication lists, so the next step is usually the expert's own institutional page.

Where experts appear elsewhere on the site

Experts are not confined to the Discover Our Experts block. The site's thematic sections — Birth rates, Education, Generational fairness, and Economic growth — link to articles and projects where named researchers contribute. The News From The Network items also name participants, for example the Einstein Center directors who discussed a Berlin survey with the city's Senator for science, health and care. If you are looking for someone working on a specific theme, checking those sections alongside the expert list can surface names the main list does not foreground.

Practical considerations

  • The expert list is a directory of affiliated researchers, not a contact form. Expect to reach people through their listed institution.
  • Affiliations can change; verify the current position on the institution's own site before citing someone.
  • The site also runs events such as the Tuesday Dialogues online talk series, where experts speak on topics like housing, families, and education. These are a way to see who is active on a given issue, and registration is handled through the site.
  • If you are a student or early-career researcher, the Study & Career section and its newsletter are separate from the expert directory but sit alongside it on the same site.