Marc Luy

Marc Luy is Director of the Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Honorary Professor of Demography at the University of Vienna. He leads the Research Group 'Health and Longevity' and is a leading expert in demographic analysis of health and mortality differentials. His research spans gender, socioeconomic, and regional disparities in life expectancy, with a focus on quasi-experimental designs such as the German-Austrian Cloister Study.

Education:

• Doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) in Demography, University of Rostock, 2004
• Diploma in Geography with minors in Demography and Urban Development Planning, University of Bamberg, 1998
• Habilitation in Demography and Social Statistics, Italian university system, 2014 (renewed 2018)

Research Interests: Marc Luy’s work centers on understanding the causal mechanisms behind health and longevity disparities. Key areas include gender differences in mortality, socioeconomic gradients in life expectancy, tempo effects in demographic analysis, and indirect estimation techniques. His research uses innovative methods and extensive datasets, particularly from religious communities, to disentangle biological and behavioral influences on lifespan. He has contributed significantly to the development of measures such as the cross-sectional average length of healthy life (HCAL) and well-being adjusted health expectancy.

Publication Trends: His recent publications (2022–2024) reflect a strong focus on health equity, measurement challenges in healthy life years, and the role of social and behavioral factors in longevity. The German-Austrian Cloister Study remains a central theme, providing evidence on the minimal role of biology in sex differences in mortality. His work increasingly integrates subjective well-being and social context into demographic models.

Scientific Awards:

• ERC Starting Grant (2010)
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2016)
• Gunther Beyer Award, EAPS (2003)
• Teaching Prize, University of Rostock (2008)
• Member, Young Academy of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2011)
• Corresponding Member, Austrian Academy of Sciences (2016)

Advising and Grants: While specific student names are not listed, Marc Luy leads a research team and supervises doctoral and master’s students through courses at the University of Vienna and WU Wien. He has secured major competitive grants, including two European Research Council (ERC) grants, which have funded the Cloister Study and related projects. He has also contributed to science policy through roles on advisory boards and ethics commissions. His leadership in international networks such as REVES and Population Europe underscores his influence in demographic research.

Labs and Research Teams: Marc Luy heads the 'Health and Longevity' research group at the Vienna Institute of Demography. This team conducts the ongoing German-Austrian Cloister Study (COMMS, ASCOM, AGAS) and manages projects like DELAG (Determinants of Longevity and Ageing in Good Health) and lebenserwartung.info, a public information platform on life expectancy trends in German-speaking Europe.