Philipp Lorenz-Spreen

Philipp Lorenz-Spreen is a Computational Social Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, where he works within the Center for Adaptive Rationality. He simultaneously leads the junior research group "Computational Social Science" at TU Dresden's Center Synergy of Systems (SynoSys) and ScaDS.AI. His research focuses on the societal impact of digitalization, particularly examining how increasingly complex online discourse affects democracies worldwide.

Education:

• Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in Theoretical Physics, TU Berlin (2018)
• M.Sc. in Physics, LMU Munich (2016)
• B.Sc. in Physics, LMU Munich (2013)

Lorenz-Spreen's research centers on understanding the interplay between human behavior and online platform functionality, with particular emphasis on how this relationship shapes public discourse and democratic processes. His work spans computational social science, complex systems analysis, social network theory, and opinion dynamics. He investigates how digital platforms create echo chambers and polarization while exploring untapped opportunities for improving information landscapes and fostering online participatory democracy. His research combines empirical methods with theoretical modeling to analyze collective attention dynamics and online behavior patterns.

His publication record demonstrates a clear research trajectory from theoretical physics to computational social science applications in democratic contexts. The most recent works focus on digital media's impact on democracy, vulnerability to misinformation, and interventions against online misinformation. His research shows increasing interdisciplinary reach, with publications spanning computer science, psychology, political science, and social science journals, reflecting the complex nature of digital democracy research.

Scientific Awards:

• Association for Psychological Science, Rising Star (2024)
• Leopoldina Prize for Junior Scientists (2021)

Lorenz-Spreen has taught the "Applied Network Science" course in the Master of Data Science program at the Hertie School and is currently researching new data access rights for researchers under the Digital Services Act. His grant-funded projects include "Reclaiming Autonomy Online (RAO)" and "Social Media for Democracy (SOME4DEM)," which examine tools for meaningful democratic discourse and how to counteract polarization in online environments.

He leads the Computational Social Science research group that investigates self-organized online discourse, with a particular focus on understanding how platform design influences democratic processes worldwide. His team works at the intersection of complex systems theory, network science, and democratic theory to develop evidence-based approaches for improving digital public spheres.