SoSe 2024–ongoing: Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Communication Science (IfKW), University of Jena
WiSe 2023–ongoing: Academic Researcher,Institute for Media and Communication Studies, University of Mannheim
2021–2024: Master's degree in Media and Communication Science, University of Mannheim. Thesis: "A bot a day keeps the doctor away: An empirical survey on attitudes towards human versus AI chat operators in a mental health context"
2023: Exchange semester, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas (Lithuania)
2022–2023: Student researcher and tutor for statistics and data analysis using R Institute for Media and Communication Studies, University of Mannheim
2018–2021: Bachelor's degree in Media and Communication Science, University of Mannheim. Thesis: "‘A rape is a rape is a rape’ – A qualitative content analysis of rape frames regarding male rape in UK print media"
Work Experience (non-academic)
2021–2023: Trainee Market Research, Q | Agentur für Forschung
2016–2018: Au Pair (USA)
Research Areas
Disinformation and the role of AI in its dissemination and detection
Algorithm Literacy
Online Communities on various platforms (e.g., Reddit, Twitch)
Political activism, endorsement and influence on political events by celebrities
Awards & Scholarships
LIBERTY Connect Fund 2025 (University of Jena) for the project: When gaming wins elections: Twitch als Plattform für politische Meinungsbildung bei Jungwähler*innen.
Best Conference Paper Award 2024 (2. Place) for "Experiences, sensemaking and attitudes towards algorithms in mediated communication: An integrative review of the literature." at DGPuK Jahrestagung 2024, Erfurt, Germany.
Teaching
SoSe 2025: Interview Methodology in Research Practice (2xBA), Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
WiSe 2024: Politics in the spotlight: The interplay between politics and celebrity (BA), Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
WiSe 2024: Interview Methodology in Research Practice (BA), Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
SoSe 2024: Interview Methodology in Research Practice (BA), Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
SoSe 2024: Quantitative Content Analysis: Algorithmic literacy in the media (BA), University Mannheim
SoSe 2024: Theories of the Digital (BA), University Mannheim
WiSe 2023: Quantitative Content Analysis (BA), University Mannheim
WiSe 2023: Introduction to scientific working (BA), University Mannheim
International Teaching Experience
2024: IULM International Week 2024, Mailand (Italien)
Publications, Conferences, and Workshops
Conferences and Workshops
Conferences
Forthcoming: Grub, M. F., Wurm, A., & Kauk, J. (2025, June 30 – July 4). Gaming the political arena: An analysis of political messaging on Twitch in Germany. Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) Conference 2025, Valetta, Malta.
Forthcoming: Grub, M. F. (2025, June 12-16). Navigating mental health online: A comparative analysis of depression, anxiety, and mental health communities on Reddit. ICA 2025, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Forthcoming: Grub, M. F. & Humprecht, E. (2025, June 12). The disruptive and consolidating roles of AI: A systematic literature review on AI and disinformation. ICA pre-conference HMC Interest Group: Disrupting and Consolidating Human-Machine Communication,Denver, Colorado, USA:
Grub, M. F. & Naab, T. K. (2025, March 19 – 21). Evaluating the role of AI in mental health: A study of user attitudes towards AI in mental health support. 70th Annual Conference of the DGPuK, Berlin, Germany.
Grub, M. F. & Naab, T. K. (2025, January 22–24). Empathie im Digitalen Zeitalter: Vergleich der Nutzerwahrnehmung von menschlichen und KI-Chatoperatoren in der digitalen psychischen Gesundheitsversorgung. Jahrestagung der Fachgruppe Rezeptions- und Wirkungsforschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (DGPuK), Bamberg, Germany.
Grub, M. F. (2024, November 20–22). Reddit as a “Safe Space” – Topic modeling of online mental health communities for depression and anxiety on Reddit. DGPuK Conference Health Communication 2024, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Gagrčin, E., Naab, T. K., & Grub, M. F. (2024, June 20–24). Algorithmic media use and algotithmic literacy: An integrative literature review. ICA 2024, Cold Coast, Australia.
Gagrčin, E., Naab, T. K., & Grub, M. F. (2024, March 13–16). Experiences, sensemaking and attitudes towards algorithms in mediated communication: An integrative review of the literature. DGPuK Jahrestagung 2024, Erfurt, Germany.
Grub M. F., Müller, P., & Vorderer, P. (2023, July 9–13). Between fact and illusion: An experimental study on acquiring political knowledge on social media. IAMCR 2023, Lyon, France.
Posters
Forthcoming: Grub, M. F. & Naab, T. K. (2025, June 12–16). Understanding user preferences in mental health AI. Social Presence, Algorithmic Aversion, and Algorithm Literacy in Human-Machine Communication. ICA 2025, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Forthcoming: Grub, M. F. & Humprecht, E. (2025, May 15–16). Interdisciplinary approaches to AI-driven political disinformation: A systematic literature review. Computational Social Science: AI and Society – Exploring Inequality in the Digital Age Workshop, Mannheim, Germany.
Grub, M.F., Yanchenko, K., Ziemer, C.T., & Humprecht, E. (2025, March 19 – 21). Understanding the Impact of Pro-Kremlin Narratives on Voting Intentions in the Former GDR: A Study on State Elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. 70th Annual Conference of the DGPuK, Berlin, Germany.
Grub, M.F. (2024). A bot a day keeps the doctor away: An empirical survey on attitudes towards human versus AI chat operators in a mental health context. Interactions with Language-Based AI: Concluding Conference of the Human-Agent Interaction Network, Leibniz Institut für Wissmedien (IWM), Tübingen, Germany.
Workshops
Forthcoming: 2025: Computational Social Science: AI and Society – Exploring Inequality in the Digital Age Workshop, Mannheim, Germany.
2024: PhD Workshop, 6th Multidisciplinary International Symposium on Disinformation in Open Online Media (MISDOOM), Münster
Publications
Grub, M. F. (accepted). “A rape is a rape is a rape” – A qualitative content analysis of male rape frames in UK print media. Studies in Communication and Media (SCM).
Gagrcin, E., Naab, T.K., & Grub, M. F. (2024). Algorithmic media use and algorithm literacy: An integrative literature review. New Media & Society. doi: 10.1177/14614448241291137