Katherine Ognyanova

Katherine Ognyanova studies the effects of social influence on civic and political behavior, confidence in institutions, information exposure/evaluation, and public opinion formation. Her methodological expertise is in computational social science, network science, and survey research. Her recent work examines the links between misinformation exposure and political trust. Ognyanova is one of the founders and a principal investigator for The COVID States Project – a large multi-university initiative exploring the social and political implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ognyanova’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation. Her work has been covered in news outlets including New York Times, NPR, Politico, Washington Post, and WIRED, among others.

Publications:

• Ognyanova, K. (Forthcoming). Fact-checking: Journalistic strategies and audience outcomes in diverse national contexts. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. doi: 10.1177/10776990241238247

• Green, J., Druckman, J., Baum, M., Ognyanova, K., Simonson, M.*, Perlis, R. H., & Lazer, D. (2023). Media use and vaccine resistance. PNAS Nexus, 2(5), 1-13. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad146

• Simonson, M.*, Block, R., Druckman, J., Ognyanova, K., & Lazer, D. (2024). Black networks matter: The role of interracial contact and social media in the 2020 black lives matter protests. Cambridge University Press.

Previous Organizations: 

• Rutgers University

Accomplishments:

• Appointed as a member of the Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Upcoming Projects:

• Covid States Project (covidstates.org)

• Civic Health and Institutions Project (chip50.org)

My work has examined inequities in politics, policy, and the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.