Dr. Sophie Bruns (she/her)

Dr. Sophie Bruns is a research associate in the DFG project “Moral Panic as a Communicative Frame: Dynamics of Opinion Formation on Social Media Regulation.” Until September 2026, she was a research assistant at the Institute for Journalism and Communication Research at the University of Music, Drama, and Media in Hanover, where she earned her Ph.D. in July 2024. In her dissertation, she examined social-psychological influences on the perception and impact of news coverage of controversial topics. Prior to that, she completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in media management.

Her research focuses on the reception and impact of media. In particular, she examines social-psychological influences on the perception and impact of news media in the context of public controversies; the role of media for social groups, intergroup relations, and social cohesion; and the impact of journalistic news against the backdrop of changes in journalistic content, as well as the conditions under which it is produced and consumed.