Pontus Leander

Pontus Leander is an Associate Professor of Social Psychology and Saperstein Endowed Professor of Science, Technology, Peace, and Public Policy at Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He directs the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. Leander holds a PhD from Duke University (2009) and focuses on motivational processes in social contexts, particularly how thwarted goals influence aggression, norm compliance, and conflict dynamics. His work integrates behavioral experiments with large-scale surveys to address societal issues like violence prevention, pandemic responses, and public policy implications.

Key research areas include:

• Psychological reactance and noncompliance
• Threat perception and defensive behavior
• Cross-national comparisons of crisis responses
• Gun ownership motivations and cultural contexts

Leander's recent publications analyze pandemic-related attitudes, conflict support, and the interplay between economic stress and conspiracy beliefs. His research frequently employs machine learning and longitudinal designs to identify predictors of health behaviors and social cohesion during crises.

He teaches courses on social psychology, interdisciplinary research methods, and industrial/organizational psychology. Leander's work has been cited in media discussions about anti-Tesla protests, holiday conflict management, and perceptions of hate crimes.