Pillars of Interdisciplinary Research Excellence

CALC has 60 Faculty Associates working in about 20 disparate departments across the university. Even with such variety of disciplines, however, there are broad themes that run through their research, linking them together in a shared goal of improving upon the aging process.

Below are CALC's five Pillars of Interdisciplinary Research Excellence, which summarize these themes. On our Faculty Associate pages, you can see which pillars they identify as most closely relating to the purpose of their research. The pillars also serve as guiding principles for CALC's continued leadership in interdisciplinary research and education. They reflect CALC's priorities and provide a framework for understanding our unique approach to the study of gerontology.

If you have questions about the pillars, please contact calc@purdue.edu.

  1. Engineering over the Life Course
    • Human-technology integration in later life
    • Technology innovations to optimize positive aging
    • Human-autonomy teaming for health, safety, and longevity
  2. Enhancing Biological and Physical Function in Later Life
    • Musculoskeletal function with aging
    • Nutrient and medicinal therapies for older adults
    • Stress mitigation for optimal aging
    • Modulating inflammation for functional health
    • Peripheral or central markers of neural degeneration
  3. Integrative Health Care in Later Life
    • Optimizing health care for older adults
    • Compassionate continuum of care
    • Reducing and eliminating disparities in health care
  4. Preserving Cognitive Function
    • Ameliorating communicative disorders in later life
    • Physical activities to aid cognition
    • Cognitive enrichment to enhance later-life cognitive function
  5. Social Contexts and Policy for Optimal Aging
    • Family relations and health
    • Social connection, health, and wellbeing across the life course
    • Life course methodology/analysis (life course data science)
    • Public policy for optimal aging
    • Caregiving