Frans Mols

Dr. Frank Mols is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Exeter. Previously, he served as a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the same university from 2007 to 2014. His research centers on political psychology, employing social psychological theories such as Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory to examine political science topics including leadership, European Union attitude formation, voter attitudes, populism, economic prosperity's impact on attitudes toward immigration and minorities, evidence-based policy, and public policy analysis. Mols has secured Australian Research Council Discovery Project grants, including 'Inequality: Consequences for societies' social and political vitality' (2017-2019) with collaborators Kim Peters and Maykel Verkuyten, and 'How economic prosperity hardens attitudes towards minorities' (2012-2014) with Russell Spears and Tom Postmes.

Mols co-authored the book The Wealth Paradox: Economic Prosperity and the Hardening of Attitudes (Cambridge University Press, 2017) with Jolanda Jetten, which addresses myths surrounding populist radical right parties and their supporters. His publications appear in leading journals such as Political Psychology, European Journal of Political Research, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and PLoS One. Notable articles include 'Explaining the appeal of populist right-wing parties in times of economic prosperity' (Political Psychology, 2015), 'Why a nudge is not enough: a social identity critique of governance by stealth' (European Journal of Political Research, 2015), and 'Relative Deprivation and Relative Wealth Enhances Anti-Immigrant Sentiments: The V-Curve Re-Examined' (PLoS One, 2015). He has supervised multiple PhD theses to completion, including principal advisor roles on projects related to public policy data sharing and nationalism in Indonesia. Mols serves as a media expert on topics like affective polarization, elections, nationalism, partisanship, and populist parties, with his work featured in outlets including The Guardian Australia. His Google Scholar profile shows over 3,600 citations.

Professional Email: f.mols@uq.edu.au