Lara Kobilke

Dr. Lara Kobilke is a Visiting Professor at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH) from October 2025 to April 2026, working under Prof. Helmut Scherer in the Institute of Communication Science. Simultaneously, she holds a PostDoc position in Computational Communication Research at LMU Munich under Prof. Mario Haim since April 2024. Her academic journey includes previous PostDoc positions in Political Communication Research and media effects research at LMU Munich, and research roles at the University of Zurich.

Dr. Kobilke's research centers on psychological reactance and resistance communication, examining how people respond when they perceive their freedom is being restricted. She investigates these mechanisms particularly in social and global crisis contexts, combining psychological, communicative, and socio-theoretical perspectives. Her work extends into political communication and deliberation, health communication with focus on social media challenges (especially TikTok), AI-supported communication, and computational communication research using advanced data analysis methods.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on understanding resistance to climate communication, developing measurement tools for psychological reactance, analyzing social media challenges' impact on youth, and exploring cross-cutting exposure effects on political participation. Dr. Kobilke's work bridges theoretical development with practical applications in crisis communication and digital media environments.

• ICA Top Student Paper Award of the Environmental Communication Division (2025)
• ICA Top Student Paper Award of the LGBTQ+ Interest Group (2020)
• Nominated for Ars Legendi Prize for Excellence in University Teaching (2025)
• Multiple teaching awards at LMU Munich for innovative courses on TikTok challenges and AI in electoral decisions
• Faculty Award performance bonus (€3000, 2020)

Dr. Kobilke actively supervises students and develops methodological tools through her role as coordinator of the R-Curriculum at LMU Munich. Her research is supported by grants from the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation and LMU Munich's Sustainability Fund. She serves as Speaker of the Early Career Network for Political Communication (NapoKo) and regularly reviews for leading international communication journals.