Young College admits Dr. Lena Frischlich
As first communication scholar since its foundation in 2006, Dr. Lena Frischlich from the University of Münster has been accepted for the prestigious Young College ("Junges Kolleg") of the North-Rhine Westphalian Academy of Science and Arts (AWK NRW). The young researcher is one of seven new members of the Young College. President of the AWK Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Löwer awarded the certificates of admission to the scholars during the Academy's New Year's Concert on 14 January in the presence of the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister for Culture and Science, Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen. Rector Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels attended the ceremony on behalf of Münster University.
Lena Frischlich (36) researches and teaches at the Institute for Communication Science at Münster University. Since 2018, she headed the interdisciplinary junior research group "DemoRESILdigital: Democratic resilience in times of online propaganda, fake news, fear and hate speech". Her research focus is the digitized manipulation of opinion formation - especially the creation, effects and prevention of online propaganda. The communication scientist studied psychology at the University of Cologne, where she finished her diploma in the field of social psychology on how to deal with existential fears in media-mediated interactions.
In addition to an annual scholarship from the AWK in the amount of 10,000 euros for up to four years, scholarship holders are given the opportunity to exchange ideas in interdisciplinary working groups under the umbrella of the Academy. Young scientists of all disciplines who have already made outstanding scientific achievements beyond their doctorate can be appointed to the Young College.