Curriculum Vitae
I am a communication and media psychology researcher at the ZeMKI, Universität Bremen. My work examines how media shapes social life — from hate and sexism and their effects on civic participation, to how categories like gender are represented, negotiated, and contested across platforms and public spheres, to the psychology of everyday media use, including entertainment, coping, and need satisfaction. I work with experimental designs, surveys, interviews, and content analysis, using mixed and computational methods.
I am an advocate of open, reproducible science in both my research and my teaching.
Download CV in German as PDF
Academic Positions
Postdoctoral Researcher
Zentrum für Medien-, Kommunikations- und Informationsforschung (ZeMKI), Universität Bremen
Apr 2023 – Present | Bremen, Germany
Postdoctoral Researcher
Munich Science Communication Lab, Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung, LMU München
Oct 2022 – Mar 2023 | Munich, Germany
Research Associate & Postdoctoral Researcher
Institut für Journalistik und Kommunikationsforschung (IJK), HMTM Hannover
May 2016 – Sep 2022 | Hannover, Germany
Visiting Researcher
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California
Aug 2013 - Feb 2014 | Los Angeles, CA, USA
Doctoral Researcher & Research Associate
Institut für Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Universität Mannheim
Aug 2010 – Apr 2016 | Mannheim, Germany
Education
Doctor philosophiae (Dr. phil.), Communication and Media Studies (summa cum laude)
Universität Mannheim
2016 | Mannheim, Germany
Dissertation: A Construal Level Theory Approach to Health Media Effects
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Peter Vorderer & Prof. Dr. Herbert Bless
Magister Artium (M.A.), Communication
Universität Erfurt & Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA (Fulbright Scholarship)
2010 | Erfurt, Germany
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Communication and English Language and Literature
Universität Erfurt
2007 | Erfurt, Germany
Awards & Honors
Research
3rd Place Best Paper Award of the DGPuK Division “Media Reception and Effects” 2023
Best Paper Award of the DGPuK Division “Media Reception and Effects” 2021
Promising Student Paper Award, Information Systems Division, International Communication Association 2016
Distinguished Reviewer Award, Journal of Media Psychology 2016/2017
Funding & Fellowships
Gertrude J. Robinson Mentoring Programme, DGPuK 2017
Abschlussstipendium, Landesgraduiertenförderung Baden-Württemberg 2016
DAAD Travel Grant, National Communication Association 2013
DAAD Travel Grants, International Communication Association 2013, 2015, 2016
DAAD Kurzzeitstipendium, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, USC 2013
Fulbright Scholarship, Washington State University 2008
Grants & Funded Projects
ViViD: Rethinking Visual Disinformation from the Perspective of Epistemic Harm and Epistemic Vigilance (applied)
DFG Schwerpunktprogramm “Re:DIS” | Role: Core team, Lead AP3
PIs: Stephanie Geise, Marcel Lemmes, Gregor Wiedemann | 2025
Erkennung und Wirkung KI-generierter Wahlwerbung
DFG/ComAI Anschubfinanzierung, ZeMKI | 3,000 EUR
Co-PI with Stephanie Geise | 2025
Die Akkommodationswirkung von geschlechtergerechter Sprache in der lokalen politischen und gesellschaftlichen Teilhabe von Frauen und non-binären Menschen
Förderpool Gender, HMTMH | 4,000 EUR
Co-PI with Christoph Klimmt | 2025
Sexismus und politische Partizipation in sozialen Netzwerken
IJK Förderpool | 2,500 EUR
Co-PI with Marko Bachl | 2021
Sexismus in politischen Onlinediskussionen und die Wirkung auf Social Media NutzerInnen
Förderpool Gender HMTMH & Förderverein IJK KKeV | 2,000 EUR
o-PI with Marko Bachl | 2020
Computational Methods for Communication Science: Towards a Strategic Roadmap
Volkswagenstiftung | ~100,000 EUR
Co-PIs: Julia Niemann, Sabine Reich, Dorothée Hefner, Leonard Reinecke & Christoph Klimmt | 2017
University & Field Service
Current Positions
Dezentrale Frauenbeauftragte, ZeMKI, Universität Bremen (since 2023)
Past Positions
Deputy Chair, Gleichstellungskommission, HMTM Hannover (2019–2021)
Graduate Representative, Gleichstellungskommission, HMTM Hannover (2017–2019)
Editorial Assistant, Journal of Media Psychology (2018–2021)
Workshop & Conference Organization
Geise, S., Reich, S., Linke, M. (2024). Generative Images – Generative Imageries: Challenges of Visual Communication (Research) in the Age of AI. Annual Conference of the DGPuK Division Visual Communication, November 2024, Bremen.
Niemann-Lenz, J., Reich, S., Hefner, D., Reinecke, L. & Klimmt, C. (2018). Computational Communication Science: Towards a Strategic Roadmap. Conference and Workshop, February 2018, Hannover.
Reich, S., Eckert, K., Rybas, N., Schlütz, D. (2017). “How to Quantify the Unquantifiable — The Methodology of Gender and Intersecting Dimensions of Identity.” Pre-Conference at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, May 2017, San Diego.
Reviews
Journals
Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Journal of Media Psychology, Mass Communication and Society, Media Psychology, New Media & Society, International Journal of Communication, medien&zeit
Professional Associations
International Communication Association (ICA): Information Systems Division, Mass Communication Division, Communication and Technology Division, Games Studies IG, Feminist Scholarship Division
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationsforschung (DGPuK)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs), Fachgruppe Medienpsychologie
SoSciPanel
Memberships
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationsforschung (DGPuK)
— FG Rezeptions- und Wirkungsforschung
— FG Medien, Öffentlichkeit und Geschlecht
— FG Digitale Kommunikation
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs)
— FG Medienpsychologie
International Communication Association (ICA)
— Information Systems Division
— Mass Communication Division
— Feminist Scholarship Division
Teaching
Higher-Education Teaching Certification: Baden-Württemberg-Zertifikat für Hochschuldidaktik (200 AE, completed 2016)
Courses taught at Universität Mannheim, HMTM Hannover, and Washington State University (2008–2022):
- Quantitative methods (experimental design, surveys, content analysis)
- Statistics and R
- Social Identity in Media use and effects research
- Media selection, use, and effects research
- Gender and media
- Political communication and digital media
- Social Media, Entertainment Research, Media System
Supervision
25 Bachelor theses | 3 Master theses
Dissertation committee member: Universität Luxemburg (2023)
Dissertation mentor: Universität Hohenheim (2024)