Markus Hess

Markus Hess is Professor of Applied Developmental and Social Psychology at the German University of Health and Sport in Berlin since 2018, specializing in childhood/adolescent prevention programs.

His educational background includes:

• Psychology studies at Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg with social psychology specialization
• Doctorate from University of Potsdam (2013) on peer participation effects in kindergarten development

Professor Hess's research centers on prevention in childhood/adolescence, intercultural competence, digital social media, bullying/cyberbullying, and behavioral addiction. His work emphasizes social-emotional development and peer relationships through evidence-based interventions.

He developed award-winning programs including "Fairplayer.Sport" for sports settings, "Papilio" for preschool social-emotional skills, and "Medienhelden" for cyberbullying prevention in schools.

Analysis of his recent publications (2020-2024) shows concentrated research on bullying prevention mechanisms, behavioral addictions (shopping/sexual), and intercultural competence development. His interventions consistently apply developmental psychology to school and sports contexts for enhancing youth social-emotional skills.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Fairplay-Preis des Deutschen Sports (2012) for "Fairplayer.Sport" program

Professor Hess has taught pedagogy and psychology students since 2003, supervising research within projects like "Gemeinsam stark durch den Start". This federally funded initiative developed intercultural competence materials for 3-6 year olds in collaboration with PAPILIO GmbH and Plan International.

His current work involves partnerships with the German Olympic Sports Confederation, PAPILIO GmbH, and Plan International to implement preventive programs across German educational institutions.