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Professor Karen Douglas FBA

The psychology of conspiracy theories; the social and psychological factors that lead people to believe them, and their consequences for individuals, groups, and society.
Fellow type
UK Fellow
Year elected
2026
Honours
PhD
Sections
Psychology

Summary

Karen Douglas was awarded her PhD in social psychology at the Australian National University in 2000. She has since held positions at Massey University in New Zealand and Keele University in the UK. She is now a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent in the UK.

Karen studies the psychology of conspiracy theories. Her work examines why people are drawn to conspiracy theories, how they spread, and what their consequences are for individuals, groups, and societies. She has published over 170 peer-reviewed articles and chapters on this topic and on the psychology of human communication more broadly.

She is currently directing a European Research Council Advanced Grant (2022–2027) to study the consequences of conspiracy theories. She has served on the Executive Committee of the European Association of Social Psychology and is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science. She has held editorial positions at several national and international social psychology journals.

Karen’s research has had significant public reach, and she has provided written evidence to government and scientific associations on the consequences of conspiracy theories for health, environmental, and political outcomes.

Current post

University of Kent Professor of Social Psychology

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