James Vaupel: an innovator in the demography of ageing

James W  Vaupel’s career has always been about transcending the limits of his field, demography. As the founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, Vaupel has helped to revolutionise the statistically bound field by taking a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates both human and non-human biology, mathematics, genetics, and public policy. His findings, which have often provoked debate, have changed perceptions about the demography of ageing.