Lasse Lindekilde is professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University. He holds a PhD from the European University Institute. His research is focused on political mobilization, violent radicalization and the implementation and effects of counter-terrorism policies and communication. His most recent research has focused on online political hostility and aggression, and how bystanders to such hostile behavior react. He has published more than 50 articles and book chapters in this domain. His work is interdisciplinary linking insights from political science, political sociology, criminology and social psychology. Methodologically he has published work building on both field work, survey research and experimental techniques. His research is funded by amongst others the European Commission, the MINERVA-programme and the Danish Research Council. In the fall of 2020, He received an ERC Consolidator Grant for the five-year project “Standing by: Pro-social Bystander Reactions to Online Political Hostility” and in 2023 an ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant.
I have 15 years of experience doing research on the darker sides of politics, including political violence, radicalization, terrorism, online hate speech and misinformation. Furthermore, I have conducted research on how society can address such challenges via prevention, interdiction and mitigation strategies and campaigns. My current research is focused on online political hostility and aggression, and how bystanders to such hostile behavior react, what the consequences of pro-social reactions are and how such behavior can be mobilized. My research profile is interdisciplinary, combining insights from political science, social phycology, communication research, criminology and sociology. I have an extensive international research network through fellowships at University of California Santa Barbara and Melbourne University and close collaborations with researchers at Kings College, University College London and the European University Institute.
I teach in the BA-program in Political Science, where I have thought and coordinated courses in ‘Political Sociology’ and ‘Methods 1’. I have offered and thought a long range of courses at the MA-program in Political Science, including courses on political violence, radicalization, activism and social movements and hostility on social media. I have thought the Ph.D.-course ‘Social Science as a Craft’ and every year I contribute to the ECPR-COSMOS PhD summer school on ’Methods for the Study of Political Participation and Mobilization’. I have given guest lectures at a long list of foreign universities, and I often give talks to public authorities and institutions, associations, NGO’s, high schools etc. I supervise post docs/assistant professors, PhDs, MA theses and BA theses at the Department of Political Science.
I continuously serve as an expert advisor to policy makers and practitioners, including as expert member of the International Consensus Guidelines Committee for the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Extremist Violence under the auspice of UNESCO and Editorial Board member of the Radicalization Awareness Network sponsored by the European Commission and the International Center for Counter-terrorism, The Hague. I have for many years advised local and national authorities in Denmark working with radicalization prevention.
Apart from my responsibilities in terms of research, teaching and supervision, I am responsible for the PhD Program at the Department of Political Science, where I as coordinator serve as the immediate manager for the institute’s approximately 45 PhD candidates.
