معرفی
Prof. Dr. Thomas Zerback serves as Professor of Political Communication and Chair of Communication and Media Studies IV at the Institute of Social Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, specializing in 'Democratic Decision-Making in the Digital Society' since October 2023. His academic trajectory includes a Magister degree (2005) and PhD (2011) from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, followed by a Habilitation (2016) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, where he worked as a research assistant from 2009 to 2019. Prior appointments include Assistant Professor of Political Communication at the University of Zurich (2018-2023) and visiting professorships in Zürich (2015-2016) and Leipzig (2017).
His educational background features:
- Magister in Publizistik and Business Administration, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 2005
- PhD in Communication Science, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 2011
- Habilitation in Media and Communication Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2016
Zerback's research examines how media diversity shapes democratic processes, with emphasis on persuasive political communication, perception of political opinion climates, and media effects in digital environments. His work investigates cross-cutting exposure, exemplar effects on public opinion, disinformation mechanisms, and polarization dynamics—particularly in climate change discourse. Employing experimental methodologies, he explores how media content influences citizens' perceptions of political climates and behavioral intentions, with recent focus on digital society challenges including disinformation and affective polarization.
His publications reveal consistent focus on democratic communication processes, with increasing attention to digital disinformation (2020-2024), climate communication polarization (2022-2025), and argument diversity effects on news credibility (2024). The research spans experimental studies, comparative media analyses, and theoretical contributions to political communication frameworks.
Scientific recognition includes:
- 2025 DGPuK Best Conference Submission Award for polarization research in climate debates
- 2017 Habilitationspreis from Münchener Universitätsgesellschaft
- 2017 DGPuK Journal Prize for media tone effects on public opinion perception
As an academic leader, Zerback served as Secretary of the Political Communication Division of the International Communication Association (2016-2018) and spokesperson for the 'Communication and Politics' group in the German Communication Association (2017-2020). He co-edited Studies in Communication and Media (2019-2023) and contributed to the 'Handbook of Political Communication.' His research has secured funding for studies on media diversity, disinformation resistance, and democratic processes, though specific grant details aren't provided in source materials. He maintains active collaboration with researchers across Germany, Switzerland, and internationally, particularly in climate communication polarization projects.
