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Petter Törnberg press photo 1
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For print, TV, or event materials, please credit: Petter Törnberg / University of Amsterdam.

Short Bio (50-70 words)

Petter Törnberg is Associate Professor in Computational Social Science at the University of Amsterdam and head of the AI, Culture & Society research unit at ILLC. His research investigates how digital platforms and AI reshape political communication, misinformation, polarization, and governance. He is a recipient of NWO VENI and VIDI grants and author of Intimate Communities of Hate and Seeing Like a Platform.

Extended Bio

Petter Törnberg is an Associate Professor in Computational Social Science at the University of Amsterdam and Head of the AI, Culture & Society research unit at ILLC. His work sits at the intersection of digital politics, platform governance, AI, and social theory. He combines computational methods with conceptual analysis to study how social media and AI transform democratic institutions, urban life, and political conflict.

He has published in journals including PNAS, New Media & Society, Big Data & Society, and The International Journal of Press/Politics, and is the author of the books Intimate Communities of Hate (Routledge, 2024) and Seeing Like a Platform (Taylor & Francis, 2025). His research has been covered by outlets including The Guardian, Ars Technica, and New Scientist.

Interview Topics

  • Misinformation, political communication, and radical-right mobilization
  • How platform design shapes polarization and democratic discourse
  • AI and large language models in social research
  • Platform governance and digital state power
  • Social simulation and the future of computational social science

Key Facts

  • Position: Associate Professor, Computational Social Science, University of Amsterdam
  • Leadership: Head of AI, Culture & Society (ILLC)
  • Grants: NWO VIDI (€850,000), NWO VENI (€250,000)
  • Membership: De Jonge Akademie (KNAW)
  • Books: 2 monographs on digital politics/platform power
  • Citation impact: 4,000+ citations (Google Scholar, 2025 CV)

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