Julia Reiter

Dr. Julia Reiter is a researcher at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Psychology, Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology, working within the Social and Economic Psychology group. She joined the university in 2020 as a project employee at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, then became a predoctoral researcher at the Vienna Doctoral School Cognition, Behaviour and Neuroscience (VDS CoBeNe) from 2021 to 2023, before joining her current team in April 2023.

Her educational background includes a Master's degree (M.Sc.) in psychology and a Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in law from the University of Göttingen (DE), with research stays at Universiteit van Amsterdam (NL) and Université de Lausanne (CH).

Dr. Reiter's research focuses on political development during adolescence and emerging adulthood, particularly examining radicalization, collective action, activism, and broader contexts of intergroup conflict. Her work demonstrates strong connections between psychological theory and real-world political phenomena, often incorporating the impact of major societal events like the COVID-19 pandemic on youth development and social behavior.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent pattern of interdisciplinary work bridging political psychology, developmental psychology, and social identity theory. She frequently investigates how major societal disruptions affect adolescent development and political attitudes, with particular attention to the psychological mechanisms underlying radicalization processes and intergroup conflict.

• Impact Award 2023
• Teaching Award 2022 der Universität Wien

Dr. Reiter has been actively involved in advising and public engagement, with multiple media appearances discussing psychological aspects of the pandemic and social relationships. Her activities include conference presentations on topics ranging from pandemic policing to democracy-autocracy preferences, demonstrating her commitment to translating research into practical insights for policymakers and the public.

She has participated in multiple collaborative research projects examining the psychological impacts of the pandemic on healthcare workers, students, and educational settings, often working with interdisciplinary teams across European institutions.