As an Associate Professor at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (University of Amsterdam), I combine research, teaching, and service work in the department of communication science.
My research focuses on the interplay between digital media and socio-emotional functioning among young people. I'm particularly interested in the way digital (mobile) technologies and entertainment media can shape social interactions and identity formation of tweens, teens and young adults.
You can find my academic publications in communication science, psychology, and interdisciplinary journals, including Journal of Adolescent Health, New Media and Society, Media Psychology, and Social Science Computer Review.
In our Bachelor program, I teach introductory courses sharing the latest research on youth, media, and technology. In the Master Entertainment Communication, I facilitate the thesis process, coaching students during the preparatory stages of their thesis and while conducting their thesis research. In addition, I have taught courses like Clashing Views on Media Effects and Tech4Good in which students are encouraged to critically reflect on media effects research and contemporary developments in the context of digital technologies, including the impact of design features in mobile (social) media.
Increasingly people find romantic partners via dating apps. This research line highlights the motivations of mobile daters, the impact of mobile dating on relationship development and identity-related practices, as well as considers how specific features of dating apps shape the user experience. This line of research is in collaboration with Prof. Laura Vandenbosch and Femke Konings (KULeuven).