About

Sander van der Linden is Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. Before joining Cambridge, he held academic positions at Princeton University, Yale University, and the London School of Economics.

Sander has received numerous awards for his research on human judgment, communication, and decision-making, including the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Sage Early Career Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), the Frank Prize in Public Interest Research from the University of Florida, and the Sir James Cameron Medal for the Public Understanding of Risk from the Royal College of Physicians. His research papers have also been recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA), the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI).

Research

Sander’s research focuses on:

• Understanding social influence, persuasion, and collective decision-making
• Investigating misinformation, belief formation, and “psychological inoculation” against fake news
• Exploring how people communicate and respond to risk and uncertainty
• Applying insights from social and cognitive psychology to promote evidence-based public understanding
• Designing interventions that strengthen digital resilience and informed citizenship