About
Scientific Coordination Team
The Scientific Programme Coordination Team coordinates the dissemination of research findings to academics, professional stakeholders and the general audience. The research teams within the programme are encouraged to share and engage with their research findings as they emerge, as well as when they are completed, polished, and published. The team organizes (virtual) meetings and events, spreads research findings through their channels and facilitates networking between the research teams.
For questions regarding the activities of the NORFACE GOVERNANCE Scientific Coordination Team, please do not hesitate to contact us using the contact information at the bottom of this page. For questions regarding the NORFACE network and other NORFACE Programmes, please contact the NORFACE Coordination Office.

Scientific Programme Coordinator
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sophie Lecheler
Sophie Lecheler is professor of Political Communication at the University of Vienna. Her research focuses on digital election campaigns, emotions in politics and media, and the impact of disinformation on citizens and elites.
She has published in a wide range of international journals, such as Political Communication, Journal of Communication, New Media & Society, and Political Psychology. She currently functions as Associate Editor of two journals, the International Journal of Press/Politics and Human Communication Research, and she is the Chair of the Political Communication Division of the International Communication Association.


Assistant Programme Coordinator
Dr. Faime Alpagu
Faime Alpagu is a postdoc researcher at the Department of Communication of the University of Vienna.
Her dissertation project was funded by a doctoral scholarship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences. In addition, Faime received several awards, including the Research Award for Research on Migration and Integration 2021 by the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) and the Dissertation Award for Research on Migration from the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Her research has been further supported by the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), the IFK InternationalesForschungszentrumKulturwissenschaften, and the Vorarlberg museum.
Her current research areas are migration research, refugee studies, audio-visual studies, biographical research, memory, archival studies, and interpretive social research.


Communication Officer
Selma Hodzic, BA
Selma Hodzic is a student of the Communication Science master’s program at the University of Vienna. She completed her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Her research interests include political communication with the focus on the influence of social networks in the election period and false news in the service of political propaganda.
Her work has been published in international journal Center for Media Philosophy and Research (CFM).

Former Team Member

Dr. Jana Laura Egelhofer
Jana Laura Egelhofer is a Post-Doc at the Department of Communication of the University of Vienna. Her research interests include fake news, disinformation, incivility, and politicians’ media criticism.
Her work has been published in international journals such as Annals of the International Communication Association and Journalism Studies.
