Cecilie Steenbuch Traberg, PhD

Cecilie Steenbuch Traberg, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Digitalisation at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), where she investigates the psychology of social influence in the digital age. Her research draws on social psychology and cognitive science to examine how group dynamics, digital environments, and persuasion processes shape belief systems, behaviours, and public trust — with a focus on building psychological resilience against misinformation, manipulation, and influence operations.

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Cecilie’s work sits at the intersection of behavioural science, technology, and public policy. She designs experimental interventions and gamified studies to better understand how information spreads — and how we can counter emerging digital threats to democracy and public health.

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Before joining CBS, Cecilie completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Cambridge, specialising in social influence and misinformation within the Social Decision-Making Lab, under the supervision of Professor Sander van der Linden. During her doctoral studies, she was a visiting fellow at Harvard Business School, Princeton University, and the University of Copenhagen, and was selected as the inaugural Storytelling Fellow at University of the Arts London, where she explored how narrative design and digital media can be used for societal impact.

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She holds an MPhil in Psychology from Cambridge, an MSc in Social Cognition (Distinction) from University College London, and a BSc in Marketing with Psychology (First Class Honours) from Lancaster University. Her doctoral research was supported by multiple competitive scholarships, including the Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarship and the Economic and Social Research Council.

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Cecilie has authored 16 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters, with work featured in Nature Communications, Scientific Reports, and The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. She has contributed to high-level international efforts to strengthen information resilience, including co-authoring a chapter for the World Health Organization’s report Managing Infodemics in the 21st Century and advising NATO StratCom on narrative frameworks for detecting and countering foreign influence.

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Recognised for both research excellence and teaching innovation, Cecilie was a finalist for the Cambridge Society for the Application of Research Award in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Student-Led Teaching Award at Cambridge Judge Business School, where she was the top-ranked supervisor (TA) for two consecutive years.

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She is a frequent speaker at academic institutions and policy events, having delivered invited talks at MIT, Harvard, Princeton, NYU, and the University of Pennsylvania, and contributed to high-level forums such as the Sikkerhetskonferansen hosted by the Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM). She regularly participates in expert panels on cognitive security, behavioural interventions, and the future of information policy.

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