The International Max Planck Research School on Learning, Institutions, and Future Evolution (IMPRS LIFE) celebrates the launch of its new chapter.
Building on the legacy of its predecessor, the International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course, the IMPRS LIFE continues to focus on human development, international collaboration, and interdisciplinary research. With its renewal, LIFE has become a permanent graduate school of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development as a joint international PhD Program of 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 University of Zurich.
The evolution of human behavior across the life span remains the core theme of LIFE. The renewed emphasis highlights the interactions between changing contexts and human development, exploring physical, social, and cultural dimensions. The IMPRS LIFE promotes an integrative approach to understanding the mechanisms, institutions, and conditions that shape, support, and sometimes challenge how humans think, learn, feel, and decide.
The inaugural event on November 6, 2025, will feature presentations from the Berlin LIFE faculty on the four modules of the new curriculum, followed by a panel discussion on the school’s research profile and a convivial reception.