Markus Huff

Markus Huff serves as a Full Professor of Applied Cognitive Psychology and head of the Applied Cognitive Psychology group at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen since 2020. He concurrently leads the Perception and Action research group at the Leibniz Institute for Knowledge Media (IWM). His research program investigates perception and action processes within digital environments through a perception-oriented framework that examines how media-mediated content influences human cognition and behavior.

Dr. Huff earned his academic foundation in psychology, mathematics, and computer science at the University of Tübingen. Following his psychology degree, he completed his doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) at the IWM and University of Tübingen with groundbreaking research on verbal influence on visual memory, which earned him the prestigious Leibniz Young Researcher Award in 2007. His academic trajectory includes postdoctoral positions at IWM, University of Tübingen, and Washington University in St. Louis, followed by a junior professorship in general psychology at Tübingen before heading the Department of Research Infrastructures at the German Institute for Adult Education.

Professor Huff's research spans four primary interconnected domains. His Multimodal Perception research investigates how humans process and mentally organize media content across various formats including texts, images, comics, and videos. The Perception and Interaction in Social Networks focus examines the complex interplay between attitudes, knowledge, and metacognition during information reception and social interaction in digital spaces. His work on Perception and Action with Digital Agents explores human-AI communication dynamics, while his research on Risk Perception of Artificial Intelligence addresses the psychological dimensions of human responses to emerging digital technologies. Additionally, he conducts significant metascientific research examining policy effectiveness in the research process, with notable findings on research data policies.

Analysis of Professor Huff's recent publication record reveals a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated investigations at the intersection of cognitive psychology and digital technology. His work demonstrates methodological rigor across visual perception, audio-visual integration, event comprehension, and the cognitive impacts of digital environments. A particularly noteworthy trend is his expanding focus on AI-related perception and risk assessment, reflecting the growing importance of human-AI interaction in contemporary cognitive science. His research consistently bridges theoretical cognitive frameworks with practical applications in educational technology, health communication, and digital media design.

• Leibniz Young Researcher Award by the Leibniz Association (2007)

Professor Huff directs a multidisciplinary research group comprising members from both the Applied Cognitive Psychology group at the University's Department of Psychology and the Perception and Action group at the Leibniz Institute for Knowledge Media. His research program has secured substantial funding, evidenced by his prolific publication record in high-impact journals spanning psychology, cognitive science, human-computer interaction, and educational technology. His grant portfolio reflects strong interest in understanding human cognition in digital contexts, with particular emphasis on educational applications, health communication, and human-AI interaction.

His laboratory work employs advanced experimental methodologies including eye-tracking, behavioral experiments, and computational modeling to investigate how people process information across various media formats and interact with increasingly sophisticated digital agents. The research environment fosters collaboration between cognitive psychologists, computer scientists, and educational researchers, creating a rich interdisciplinary context for advancing understanding of human perception and action in our rapidly evolving digital landscape.