Members

​Michel Walrave investigates online disclosure of personal information and privacy. His research focuses on the motives and consequences of online self-disclosure, including also intimate communication such as sexting, and the risks it entails (such as image-based sexual abuse, online dating abuse, and other forms of violence). He further studies online interpersonal communication within families, including motives and risks of (grand)sharenting.

​Heidi Vandebosch investigates cyberbullying and other types of online aggression (e.g., hate speech, sexual harassment). She also studies how (technological) interventions can help to address cyberbullying and other (health-related) problems.

​Karolien Poels investigates the strategic communication of complex societal challenges that are (partly) shaped within social media and other technology mediated environments. The role of emotions and how they interact with cognitive processes and behavior is central, both at the theoretical and methodological level. Ongoing projects study 1) how emotions relate to media use  (e.g., boredom and smartphone use, habits and emotion regulation related to smartphone (dis)connection), 2) how communication can target emotions (e.g. narratives and emotions, addressing online hate and harassment, tackling vaccine hesitancy) and 3) how technologies can take into account and steer emotions and behavior (e.g., promoting physical activity through dynamic technologies, chatbots for victims of online sexual harassment).

Charlotte De Backer is a researcher within social food studies and also studies social online conversations, celebrities, online dating behavior and interpersonal relationships.

Gert-Jan de Bruijn is an expert in the field of AI and health, in particular within two domains: communication with AI systems (such as chatbots and robots) and communication about AI systems (such as medical decision-making between doctors and patients based on precision medicine).

Konrad Rudnicki is an expert in applying psychophysiological methods to answer research questions in social sciences and humanities. His research topics include: 1) Investigating the evolutionary theory of gossip by measuring hormonal and physiological changes that happen when it occurs, 2) Testing contemporary functional theories of boredom by investigating the relation between physiological markers of boredom and choices that people make under their influence, 3) Applying psychophysiological measurements of cognitive load in studies on translation and interpreting, and 4) Applying psychophysiological techniques to investigate the applied logic behind human perception of paradoxes and contradictions.

Ann DeSmet conducts research into health communication, digital health, (media) psychology and emotions

Lara Hallam conducts research in the field of online dating

Rowan Daneels investigates how entertainment media, specifically digital games, elicit more profound, meaningful, emotionally moving and thought-provoking experiences while playing as well as how these experiences motivate players to select certain games before gameplay (PhD). He further combines this approach with eudaimonic gaming to study how different types of people's boredom moods influence their game motives and selection of more or less demanding games.

Michelle Symons has focused her PhD on encouraging fatigue individuals to exercise regularly through humorous messages (cat memes) received on the smartwatch. She specializes in health communication, partly due to her experience in social media experiments, which she has gained through various health projects. If you want to encourage healthier behavior among people, do not hesitate to contact her.

​Lauranna Teunissen investigates the use of food-related media for food literacy promotion among emerging adults (18-25 years old).

Erik Snoeijers

Katrien Maldoy investigates how healthy food can be better promoted by looking at the social context in which it is eaten. She aims to address several questions, such as: What social context is shown in advertising and is this different for healthy versus unhealthy foods? Can we make healhty food more appealing by portraying it in a more social way? Additionally, She seeks to understand how the social context in which one eats and serves foods influence the food's healthfulness, and why this influence exists.

Roos van Gogh is an expert in environmental communication. Among other things, she studies how to make 'pro-environmental' themes more attractive via social media (influencers). Do you have a question or would you like to know more about how to best communicate (online) about eco-friendly topics? Feel free to send her an email!

​Yi-Lun Jheng investigates the emotional and cognitive processes involved in learning from texts. In her work, she adopts dynamic measures of processes during text reading, using a multi-method approach that combines self-reports with eye tracking and psychophysiological measures.

Sofie Apers specializes in health communication and behavior change concerning radon exposure, as part of the European RadoNorm project. Through her research, she aim to contribute insights that help raise awareness and promote healthier living in communities affected by radon. She is committed to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and actionable measures to safeguard public health.

Toni Claessens immerses herself in researching vaccination communication. She strives to comprehend vaccine confidence and to enhance informed public understanding and support for immunization initiatives.

Amber Peeters researches the relationship between meat consumption and masculinity at personal, interpersonal, and societal levels using quantitative methods. The goal is to encourage men to reduce meat intake and bridge the gap between meat eaters and vegans/vegetarians.

​Yuying Tan (Sherry) studies how online spaces can be made safer by assessing reporting systems for victims of online sexual harassment. She aims to provide practical, evidence-based advice to social media companies on improving their reporting systems to better support victims.

Ina Weber focuses on online hate speech and what to do against this issue. Currently, she is studying why online discussions of polarising topics can be full of rude and intolerant comments. She will use these insights to develop an educational online game to teach internet users how psychological mechanisms can impact their online behaviors.

Yawen Xu uses an experimental approach to study the communication effect of AI advertising.

Elina Vrijsen (she/her) investigates food as a gendered and cultural practice. In particular, she is interested in how these cultural ideas and beliefs on 'real men eat meat' are (re)produced through media. The research is focused on the intersection of food studies, cultural studies and critical studies on men and masculinties, using qualitative research methods.

Miguel Vissers

​Kim Verhoeven researches how journalistic fact-checks can be used in correcting mis- and disinformation. She investigates the content (e.g., topic, transparency, and formatting), effects (e.g., cognitive and affective), and implications (e.g., practical and theoretical) of journalistic fact-checks. If you have questions about the topic of her PhD-project, don't hesitate to sent her an e-mail.

Marthe Mennes specializes in digital disconnection and digital well-being, as part of the DISCONNECT TO CONNECT project. Her research focuses on digital disconnection within families, using qualitative research methodologies. Her specific focus is on understanding the diverse ways families shape their digital and non-digital lives in order to improve personal and interpersonal wellbeing within the family context. If you would like more information about this research, please do not hesitate to contact her at: Marthe.Mennes@uantwerpen.be

Laura Lemahieu focuses on the relationship between habitual smartphone use and digital disconnection. Using various quantitative methods, she examines how habitual smartphone use affects indivdiuals’ ability to limit their smartphone use and what can be done to remedy this.

Kato Helsen focuses on how communication tools can be used to increase awareness around anti-microbial resistance. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, she examines where individuals get their information regarding antibiotics/AMR and how it can be used to increase their awareness of this rising health issue.

David Walewijns investigates to what extent Virtual Reality (VR) can be utilised to address awareness of social issues, specifically the refugee crisis and climate change. His research uses an experimental approach to study the cognitive and psychological effects of experiencing VR Storytelling.

Fran Eelen conducts research into beauty-related content on social media, and how this relates to the emerging phenomenon of "FOGO" (Fear Of Getting Older). She studies how topics such as skin care are addressed on social media such as TikTok, what the effects are of exposure to such content on young people, and how this relates to the fear of aging.

Luwei Xu

Yue Xu

Sien Vrijmoed

Paulien Decorte studies how emerging adults (18-25 years old) process food media content, as well as its possible effects on their food decision-making. She considers both conscious and unconscious processing mechanisms through qualitative, quantitative, and psychophysiological methods.

Isabelle Cuykx

Gaëlle Ouvrein

Sara Pabian