Rolf Zwaan

Rolf Zwaan is a Full Professor of Biological and Cognitive Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), where he also chairs the Brain and Cognition Area. He is an active researcher with over 227 research outputs, including articles, books, and datasets, and has supervised at least 17 academic works.

His research focuses on language processing, cognition in the digital age, and meta-scientific aspects of psychology. Key areas include embodied cognition, situation models, narrative comprehension, and the psychological underpinnings of language use. His work often explores how people mentally simulate linguistic content and how digital environments affect cognitive processes.

Zwaan’s recent publications reveal a strong engagement with high-impact, interdisciplinary topics. His work spans cognitive psychology and linguistics, with increasing involvement in meta-research and large-scale collaborative science. He contributes to foundational questions in language comprehension and participates in global studies on public trust in science and pandemic behavior.

He was awarded the Graduate Research Day Article Award in 2014 by the Institute of Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, recognizing impactful research collaboration.

Zwaan actively mentors students and early-career researchers, as evidenced by his supervision of 17 academic works and participation in numerous academic presentations and peer-review activities. He is involved in initiatives promoting methodological rigor and replication in psychological science.

He is associated with collaborative networks across multiple countries and contributes to open science through shared datasets, such as those related to mental simulations and replication practices.