Karsten Hank

Karsten Hank is Professor of Sociology at the University of Cologne and Research Fellow at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin. His academic journey began with Social Sciences studies at Ruhr-University Bochum, followed by doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock. He has held significant research positions including Head of the Research Unit 'Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe' at the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging. His international academic experience includes Visiting Professorships at King's College London and research fellowships at VU Amsterdam.

Professor Hank's research focuses on the sociology of aging, family demography, and intergenerational relations. His work explores complex dynamics of grandparenthood, parental gender preferences, intergenerational proximity, and the impact of social policies on family structures. His research employs sophisticated demographic methods and comparative approaches across European and international contexts, particularly examining how social structures influence individual life courses and family formation patterns.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent trends in examining intergenerational solidarity, the evolving nature of grandparenting roles in contemporary societies, and the intersection of family dynamics with health outcomes. His work spans both theoretical contributions to demographic science and policy-relevant research on family support systems in aging populations.

As Co-Principal Investigator of the German Family Panel (pairfam), Hank leads one of Germany's major longitudinal studies on family dynamics. His research has been consistently funded through prestigious academic channels, supporting extensive data collection efforts and international collaborations that have produced influential findings in top-tier demographic and sociological journals.

Professor Hank has led research teams at the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging and currently directs projects at the University of Cologne's Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences. His work involves interdisciplinary collaboration between demographers, sociologists, economists, and public health researchers, fostering an integrated approach to understanding family dynamics in contemporary society.