Nils Karl Reimer

Research Interests

I study whether contact with members of other social groups can change not only how we see others, but also how we see ourselves – specifically, how we understand our social identities and group memberships. In my research, I try to answer questions such as: Can intergroup contact foster more inclusive identities? Can intergroup contact inspire solidarity across social divides? Does intergroup contact help or hinder social change? Can large-scale interventions foster social integration and encourage social change?

My research spans various contexts (sexuality, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, caste), multiple countries (UK, India, Germany), large samples (N > 15,000), and multiple designs (cross-sectional, longitudinal, experimental, intervention). 

I have recently submitted my doctoral thesis, supervised by Professor Miles Hewstone and Dr Katharina Schmid. In addition, I am working with Professor Jennifer Richeson and Professor John Dovidio on developing a novel paradigm for studying perceptions of discrimination among members of disadvantaged groups, and am conducting a meta-analysis of research on the ‘ironic’ effects of intergroup contact.

Click here for a current CV (September 2018).

Read more

Preprint, data, analyses, and figures of Reimer et al. (2017). Intergroup contact and social change: Implications of negative and positive contact for collective action in advantaged and disadvantaged groups. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

"Does intergroup contact hinder social change?" (Medium, September 2016)

Follow me on Twitter and ResearchGate.

Biography

2014 - 2018

DPhil in Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford

Spring 2018

Visiting Researcher, Yale University

2013 - 2014

MSc in Psychological Research, University of Oxford

Fall 2012

Visiting Student, University of California, Berkeley

2010 - 2013

BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences (Social Sciences), University College Maastricht