Rate My Professor Karen Phalet

Prof. Dr. Karen Phalet is a Full Professor at the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at KU Leuven, where she serves as chair of the research unit Methods, Individual and Cultural Differences, Affect and Social Behavior. She received her PhD in psychology from KU Leuven in 1993. After postdoctoral research from 1994 to 1997, she held positions as assistant professor from 1997 to 2003 and associate professor until 2007 at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. In 2006, she occupied the “Societal Prejudice” Chair at Radboud University Nijmegen. Since 2007, she has been full professor at KU Leuven, initially coordinating the research unit for personality, social, and cultural psychology research and methodology. She is also a senior research fellow at the European Research Center on Migration and Ethnic Relations at Utrecht University and a member of the Leuven Centre for the Study of Islam Culture and Society.

Phalet's research develops social-psychological perspectives on migration and ethnic relations, with a focus on intergroup inequality and conflict in European societies. Her academic interests encompass ethnic educational inequalities, religion and national belonging, interethnic relations and conflict, diversity attitudes and policies, solidarity and collective action for social change, ethnic prejudice and discrimination. She has led pioneering cross-national research initiatives, including EQUALSOC and IMISCOE Networks of Excellence from 2005 to 2010, NORFACE RELEMERGE from 2007 to 2011, TIES-RTN from 2007 to 2010, NORFACE-CILS4EU from 2011 to 2015, and ongoing projects such as RESPECT on intersectional inequities and alliances, Bicultural Selves on self-development and school adjustment of Turkish-Belgian adolescents, and the Leuven Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study. She has authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, and Child Development. Notable publications include “Policies and Prejudice: Integration Policies Moderate the Link Between Immigrant Presence and Anti-Immigrant Prejudice” (2022), “Multiple pathways of integration: Acculturative change and associations with school adjustment in immigrant-origin adolescents” (2023), and “Enhancing or reducing interethnic hierarchies? Teacher diversity approaches and ethnic majority and minority students' ethnic attitudes and discrimination experiences” (2023). Her influence is recognized through awards such as the SPSSI Otto Klineberg Award in 2016, SPSP Fellowship in 2013, and visiting fellowships at DeZIM-Institute in 2021-2022 and CUNY Advanced Research Collaborative in 2015. She contributes to scientific panels for ERC, ESRC, NWO, and advisory boards including Mannheim Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung.