Emma Turkenburg

Dr. Emma Turkenburg is an Assistant Professor in the Strategic Communication Group at Wageningen University & Research. She holds a PhD from KU Leuven (2023), where she conducted research under the LEGIT Research Group and the Centre for Political Science Research. Her work focuses on controversial political communication, reasoning, legitimacy, and polarization, employing methods like content analysis and experiments.

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, KU Leuven (2023)

Research Interests:

• Polarization and its democratic implications
• Political discourse and civility in mediated communication
• Electoral debates and their impact on public opinion
• Political trust and democratic engagement

Her publications explore themes such as the effects of political communication complexity, respect-based norms in political discourse, and the non-linear relationship between affective polarization and democratic support. She is actively involved in interdisciplinary projects addressing polarization in pesticide regulation and legal battles.

Professional Activities:

• Mentor for PhD candidates (e.g., a recent vacancy in pesticide regulation)
• Collaborations on grants related to polarization and democratic processes

Labs/Teams: She is part of the Strategic Communication Group at Wageningen University, emphasizing applied and theoretical research in communication science and political behavior.