Toril Aalberg

Toril Aalberg is a Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. She was previously Head of the same department from 2017-2021 and serves as Guest Professor at Mid Sweden University in 2024-2025. Aalberg is a member of the research networks NEPOCS (Network of European Political Communication Scholars) and EVPOC (Elections, Values and Political Communication).

Her research interests include comparative politics, election campaigns, media effects, public opinion, and stereotypes in political contexts. She has led major projects like the COST Action IS1308: Populist Political Communication in Europe (2014-2018).

Toril Aalberg has authored or co-authored 9 books, including Populist Political Communication in Europe (2016) and Communicating Populism (2019). Her recent articles focus on misinformation during crises, media’s role in political efficacy, and cross-national disinformation studies, often analyzing data from 17-19 democracies. She has conducted extensive research on media polarization, immigrant attitudes, and news consumption patterns.

Aalberg has held visiting appointments at institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and University of Oslo, with current affiliations at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Oslo and Mid Sweden University. Her work spans political communication theory, media sociology, and democratic processes.