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Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM) Research

Anthropometrics & Historical Epidemiology

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What We Do

We are an interdisciplinary research group bringing together expertise in epidemiology, public health, population health, history, demography, and biostatistics. Since 2014, our research has focused on the interactions between population health and environmental and societal change over the past two centuries. By combining historical perspectives with modern quantitative methods, we aim to better understand long-term developments in human health, population vulnerability, and their relevance to contemporary public health challenges.

Our research encompasses two main areas: Anthropometry, investigating temporal and regional variation in human height, body shape, overweight, and size at birth; and Historical Epidemiology/Demography, examining historical patterns of morbidity, mortality, and population health in relation to epidemics, climatic extremes, wars, and broader societal transformations. We analyse both individual-level historical records and long-term population-level data using modern epidemiological and statistical approaches.

Beyond research, we contribute to the digitisation, accessibility, and communication of historical health data, particularly through the LEAD Knowledge Hub (www.leaddata.ch) and public-engagement activities. Our work is embedded in interdisciplinary collaborations and research networks at the University of Zurich, across Switzerland, and internationally.

Who We Are

Head: Prof. Dr. Kaspar Staub

Deputy Head: Katarina Matthes, PhD

Team and Students 

Open Positions and Thesis Projects
 

Ongoing Research Projects

Selected SNSF-projects

SNSF-COST Project: Socio-demographic inequalities in the causes of death in Switzerland 1877-2024 (ongoing)

SNSF-Spark Project: Are human growth patterns inheritable?  (ongoing)

SNSF-Project: Bridging the gap: Dialogues between scientists and the public and policymakers about lost past pandemic experiences (completed)

SNSF-Project: Neonatal and maternal health at the beginning of the 20th century vs. now (completed)

SNSF-Spark Project: Long-term Mortality Effects of In-Utero Exposure (completed)

SNSF-Workshop: Workshop and Hackathon: Analysing historical mortality and cause of death data (completed)

Selected ongoing EU-projects

EU Cost Action “The Great Leap. Multidisciplinary approaches to health, 1800-2022”

EU-HORIZON / SERI Project “PREPSHIELD: Preparedness for Society in Health Crises and Disasters”

Selected other ongoing projects

Data & Visualization Hub LEAD “Lessons from the past: Digitized historical health data in Switzerland”

Career Tracker: Wissenschaftliche Studie im Auftrag der Schweizer Armee

PRC Seed Grant: Towards a better understanding of the ongoing decline in the birth rate in Switzerland

PRC Seed Grant: Child Mortality Following Measles Infection in Zurich, 1893-1928

Publications and Funding Partners

Publications Anthropometrics & Historical Epidemiology Group

Funding partners and organizations

 

Group News and Activities