Dr. Michael Reiss
Academic Staff
Research Focus: Generative AI • Political Communication • Computational Methods
About the person
Michael Reiss' research interests lie in political communication, news use and effects, as well as opinion formation in the context of new digital media. A key focus of his research is how users engage with generative artificial intelligence and its relevance and role for a democratic society. Furthermore, he pursues open science principles, and his research extends to computational social science, particularly the use of large language models as tools for social science research.
• Since April 2026: Postdoctoral Researcher with Prof. Mario Haim at LMU Munich
• 2023-2026: Postdoctoral Researcher with Prof. Judith Möller at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut, Hamburg, Germany
• 2018-2023: Ph.D. in Communication Science, Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ), University of Zurich, Switzerland
• 2017-2018: M.Sc. in Social Research Methods, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom
• 2015-2017: M.Sc. in Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
• 2014-2015: B.A. in Sociology, Heidelberg University, Germany
• 2013-2014: Erasmus semester, University of Valencia, Spain
• 2011-2015: B.Sc. in Economics, Heidelberg University, Germany