Prof. dr. Koen Ponnet
Professor at the research group for Media, Innovation and Contemporary Technologies, Department of Communication Sciences, Ghent University.
Contact | More info | LinkedIn
Online/offline health and risk behavior
Attitudes
Adolescents
Structural equation modeling
Prof. dr. Koen Ponnet is appointed at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Ghent University, and is head of the ‘Changing Attitudes and Behaviors’ (CABS) research unit (imec-mict-UGent). He teaches several theoretical as well as methodological courses, and conducts research in the field of Public Health, Media Psychology and Social Psychology.
After obtaining his PhD in Psychology from Ghent University in 2004, he worked for several years outside academia. In 2009, he returned to academia and began conducting research with implications for theory building, as well as relevance for practice and policy.
His research draws on a variety of theoretical frameworks and integrates perspectives from social psychology, criminology, communication sciences, and sociology. His research program encompasses the following areas:
- Investigating the determinants of online and offline health and risk behaviors among adolescents and adults
- Financial stress and digital inclusion
- Validating questionnaires and assessing their psychometric properties
Since 2019, Professor Koen Ponnet has consistently been recognized among the top 2% of scientists worldwide, according to Stanford University’s global ranking. Within the field of Public Health, he ranks among the top 0.5% of scientists, placing 233rd out of 69,595 researchers in 2025. His research portfolio includes participation in more than 300 national and international data collection projects, resulting in over 500 publications, more than 220 of which are indexed in the Web of Science. Professor Ponnet pioneered research on the causes and consequences of adolescents’ sexting behavior and cyber dating abuse and has co-authored more than 50 articles on these topics.
As a psychometrician, Professor Ponnet is passionate about identifying effective solutions to research challenges using both quantitative and qualitative research designs. His methodological expertise has led to numerous collaborations with academic colleagues, policymakers, and industry stakeholders, particularly in the areas of research design, questionnaire development, and data analysis.
Professor Ponnet holds an MA in Psychology (1999), an MA in Industrial Entrepreneurship (2004), and a PhD in Psychology (2004). He also completed a one-year postgraduate program in Business Administration (2003) and a one-year postgraduate program in Project Management (2004).
He is the father of three sons: Jef (born in 2006), Joppe (born in 2008), and Guust (born in 2015).