Dr. Wiebke Drews

Welcome! 

I am currently affiliated with the University of the German Bundeswehr in Munich, where I am undertaking my post-doctoral research. At the Bundeswehr University, my primary responsibility is the "Political Competition" use case for the research project SPARTA. Within this project, I focus on monitoring and nowcasting electoral campaigns on platforms like Twitter/X, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Since June 2024, I have been on maternity/parental leave. 

I earned my PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, in November 2020. My doctoral thesis is titled "Digital Politics Across Contexts, Social Media, Parties and Citizens: Technological Opportunities and Challenges in Modern Democracies." 

My research lies at the intersection of technology, democracy, and power, focusing on how new information and communication technologies (ICTs) shape electoral campaigns, political expression and representation, as well as power structures. I specialize in social media analytics and apply methods such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), network analysis, and survey research. My work has been published in Frontiers, Political Research Exchange, PLoS ONE and German Politics. 

In addition to my work with SPARTA, I serve as a member of the Steering Committee of the ECPR Standing Group on Internet & Politics. I have also served as the co-director of euandi2021, a Voting Advice Apllication (VAA) for the 2021 German federal election.

I am always happy to connect and welcome messages about potential collaborations, exchange of expertise, or any shared interests.