Michael Bang Petersen - Biography#

Michael Bang Petersen’s (MBP) research is within the field of political psychology. MBP is committed to interdisciplinarity and utilize theories and methods from cognitive and evolutionary psychology to illuminate problems in political science. Topics especially include the darker aspects of political behavior such as political polarization, opposition towards the political system, the spread of misinformation, the psychology of online hostility and political violence.

Michael Bang Petersen has published around 100 peer reviewed articles. Several articles have appeared in absolute top journals within political science (e.g., American Political Science Review and American Journal of Political Science), psychology (e.g., Psychological Science and Behavioral and Brain Sciences) and general science (e.g., Proceedings of the National Academy of). In addition, he has published two books and multiple book chapters. In 2017, MBP received the most prestigious early career award in his research field, the Erik Erikson Award, by the International Society for Political Psychology, and he was appointed to The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. MBP has given invited talks at several major universities including Harvard, Oxford, McGill, Ecole Normale Superieure and London School of Economics. In total, he has received external funding for over 120 million DKK as PI or Co-PI. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MBP was one of the most cited researchers in the Danish media and he served as a main scientific advisor to the Danish government on the behavioral aspects of the pandemic. In 2022, he was named Knight of the Order of Dannebrog by the Danish Queen for his contributions to science and during the pandemic.