Welcome to the UW–Madison Institute on Aging!
Our center is a hub of cutting-edge research on health and well-being as individuals travel across the decades of adult life. We look outward to broad influences of class, culture, and race/ethnicity as well as inward to fine-grained influences of biology, genetics, and neuroscience. Between these two, we examine proximal influences from work and family life, personal thoughts and feelings, and health practices and behaviors. Collectively, our work:
- Emphasizes the potential and strengths of individuals as they age
- Improves understanding of pathways to disease and impairments of growing older
- Advances knowledge of resilience in the face of challenge and adversity
In 2023, we celebrated the 50th birthday of the Institute on Aging!
2025 IT Recognition Awards: Congratulations to IOA’s Jim Porter!
2025 Unsung Hero Award Recipient
For over 30 years, Jim Porter has been the technical backbone of the Institute on Aging, supporting research, managing complex systems and mentoring IT professionals. He is known for his goodwill, problem-solving and willingness to help, making a difference for researchers, students and colleagues across campus and beyond. Jim’s work enables the institute’s research, outreach, and public data sharing, impacting thousands of researchers worldwide.
Latest Newsletters
Our newsletters inform researchers and members of the general public about current advances coming out of UW research on aging and national research from IOA’s Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Visit our Newsletters page to learn more.
Events & Opportunities
MIDUS Affective Neuroscience Project Postdoctoral Fellow
This postdoctoral position will analyze and publish on data from the national longitudinal Midlife in the US study.
T32 Training Grant: Biology of Aging & Age Related Diseases
The Biology of Aging and Age-Related Diseases T32 Training Grant is currently looking for postdocs interested in joining the program.
USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Learn about gerontology certificate and degree programs, as well as research opportunities on aging.
Check out what’s happening at the Institute on Aging.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
The UW–Madison Institute on Aging embraces diversity as a source of strength, creativity, and innovation in carrying out its broad mission. As a place of work, we value the contributions of each employee, respecting individual identities, cultural backgrounds, abilities, and opinions. As a research institute, we are committed to advancing knowledge about health and well-being in adulthood and later life with awareness of differences defined by demographic factors (age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status) and wide-ranging psychological and social factors. As a forum for outreach, application, and public health education, we welcome the participation of all who want to learn about the work that we do. Our ultimate goal is to be inclusive.
UW–Madison Land Acknowledgement
The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial. In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin.
We acknowledge the circumstances that led to the forced removal of the Ho-Chunk people, and honor their legacy of resistance and resilience. We recognize and respect the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation as well as all the First Nations within the boundaries of the state of Wisconsin.
To learn more about aging-related research conducted at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, visit the websites of the Institute on Aging Affiliates.