Prof. Christian MONTAG

  • Room 1003f, N21, University of Macau

  • (853) 8822 9067

  • (853) 8822 2456

  • cmontag@um.edu.mo

  • 2006: Diploma in Psychology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
  • 2009: PhD in Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
  • 2011: Habilitation Dissertation (“venia legendi” for Psychology), University of Bonn, Germany

  • 2025.04 – present: Distinguished Professor of Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Associate Director of the Institute of Collaborative Innovation at University of Macau, Macau, China
  • 2023.10 – present: Adjunct-Professor at College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
  • 2016-2022: Agreement-Professor at NeuSCAN-Lab at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
  • 2014-2024: Full Professor for Molecular Psychology (W3) at Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Heisenberg-Professor funding in the first five years)
  • 2009 (summer): Research sabbatical at SCAN-Lab at Stony Brook University, NY, USA
  • 2006-2014: Research fellow at Department of Personality & Biological Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

  • Goldener Geist 2007 (Price of students for best lecture)
  • EAPP Scholarship 2008 for ECP Meeting, Estonia
  • Stipend of the G.A. Lienert Stiftung 2009 for a sabbatical at the SCAN Center (Prof. Dr. Turhan Canli), Stony Brook University, USA (SCAN = Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience)
  • Award of University of Bonn in 2009 for the best PhD thesis across all disciplines (10.000 Euro)
  • Stipend for the Dresden Spring School 2010 „From vulnerability to resilience: Molecular genetics perspectives”
  • ECP Scholarship 2010 for the ECP conference, Brno, Tchech Republic
  • Award for excellent German-Chinese cooperation at UESTC, Chengdu, China (2018)
  • Best lecture in WS2020/21, in WS2021/22 and WS2022/23 at Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University

Prof. Dr. Christian Montag works at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics and computer science. He is particularly interested in digital phenotyping, mobile sensing, and digital biomarkers. Moreover, he studies Internet use disorders and attempts to understand how social media can be improved. In his most recent works, he focuses on the question on how interaction with AI impacts on the human mind.

Prof. Dr. Christian Montag’s research got funding from agencies such as German Research Foundation (DFG), BMBF, EU-Horizon, German Innovation Fund and others. In total he received more than 2.5 million euros of funding for his research.

  • Expert and speaker at the high level round table meeting on „Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children“ organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) of the Pontifical Gregorian University and the World Childhood Foundation at the Casina Pio IV in Vatican City (with the presence of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden; 20th-22nd March 2025)
  • Expert with the EU-Commission in the context of the Digital Services Act, 2024
  • Official expert in the discussion on “Social Media and Games – Dangers and Risks for Children and Young People” for the committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, German Bundestag (German government), Berlin, Germany 15th May 2024
  • Director of Institute for Psychology and Education, April 2022 – September 2023
  • Vice-Director of Institute for Psychology and Education, October 2017 – March 2022
  • Member of the panel organizing the occupational group „Differentielle Psychologie, Persönlichkeitspsychologie und Psychologische Diagnostik (DPPD)“ (September 2019 – September 2021)
  • Organizer of the scientific conference DPPD 2021 in Ulm (together with Prof. Dr. Oliver Wilhelm)
  • Member of the debate-circle about „Digitization and Responsibility“ at Facebook (https://about.fb.com/de/news/h/gespraechskreis-digitalitaet-und-verantwortung-2/), October 2018-September 2022
  • Member of the ethic committee/IRB at Ulm University (September 2019 – February 2022)
  • Member of the medical-psychological advisory board of the Center for School Quality and Teacher Education reporting to the ministry of education and cultural affairs of the federal state Baden-Württemberg (May 2020 – August 2024)
  • Member of the scientific advisory board at the Nymphenburg-Group (Munich, Germany, since January 2019)
  • Member of the scientific advisory board at Applied Cognition (Redwood City, CA, USA, since December 2021)

 Further memberships

  • Member of German Society of Psychologists (DGPS)
  • Member of International Society for the Study of Behavioral Addictions (ISSBA)

 Editorial board activities

  • Since 2017: On the Editorial Board of „Personality Neuroscience“ (Cambridge University Press)
  • Since 2018: On the Editorial Board of „Addictive Behaviors“ (Elsevier)
  • Since 2024: On the Editorial Board of “Telematics and Informatics Reports” (Elsevier)
  • 2019-2023: On the Editorial Board of „Digital Psychology“ (Facultas)
  • 2021-2025: On the Editorial Board of “Molecular Psychology: Brain, Behavior, and Society” (Taylor and Francis Group)

He is further (Co-)Editor of the book series: Studies in Neuroscience, Psychology & Behavioral Economics. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.

He reviewed for more than 150 journals.

Prof. Dr. Christian Montag is (co-)author of more than 400 peer-reviewed publications. For details see Researchgate and Google Scholar.

2024

  • Montag, C., Ali, R., Al-Thani, D., & Hall, B. J. (2024). On artificial intelligence and global mental health. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 91, 103855.
  •  Montag, C., & Becker, B. (2024, correspondence). Use fines from EU social-media act to fund research on adolescent mental health. Nature, 628(8007), 268-268.
  • Montag, C., Demetrovics, Z. Elhai, J. D., Grant, D., Koning, I., Rumpf, H. J., Spada, M. M., Throuvala, M. & van den Einden, R. (2024). Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence. Addictive Behaviors, 107980.
  • Montag, C., & Finck, M. (2024). Successful implementation of the EU AI Act requires interdisciplinary efforts. Nature Machine Intelligence, 6(12), 1415-1417.
  • Montag, C., Nakov, P., & Ali, R. (2024). Considering the IMPACT framework to understand the AI-well-being-complex from an interdisciplinary perspective. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 13, 100112.
  • Montag, C., Schulz, P. J., Marciano, L., Roman-Urrestarazu, A., Rumpf, H. J., & Becker, B. (2024). Safeguarding young users on social media through academic oversight. Nature Reviews Psychology, 3(6), 368-369.

2023

  • Montag, C., & Becker, B. (2023). Neuroimaging the effects of smartphone (over-) use on brain function and structure—a review on the current state of MRI-based findings and a roadmap for future research. Psychoradiology, 3(1), kkad001.
  • Montag, C., & Hall, B. (2023). Enhancing real-time digital surveillance can guide evidence-based policymaking to improve global mental health. Nature Mental Health, 1(10), 697-698.
  • Montag, C., Marciano, L., Schulz, P. J., & Becker, B. (2023). Unlocking the brain secrets of social media through neuroscience. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(12), 1102-1104.
  • Montag, C. & Markett, S. (2023). Social media use and everyday cognitive failure: investigating the fear of missing out and social networks use disorder relationship. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 872.
  • Montag, C., Müller, M., Pontes, H. M. & Elhai, J. D. (2023). On fear of missing out, social networks use disorder tendencies and meaning in life. BMC Psychology, 11, 358.
  • Montag, C., & Quintana, D. S. (2023). Digital phenotyping in molecular psychiatry—a missed opportunity?. Molecular Psychiatry, 28(1), 6-9.

2021-2022

  • Montag, C., Elhai, J. D., & Davis, K. L. (2021). A comprehensive review of studies using the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales in the psychological and psychiatric sciences. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 125, 160-167.
  • Montag, C., Elhai, J. D., & Dagum, P. (2021). Show me your smartphone … and then I will show you your brain structure and function. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(5), 891-897.
  • Montag, C., Hegelich, S., Sindermann, C., Rozgonjuk, D., Marengo, D. & Elhai, J. D. (2021). On corporate responsibility when studying social-media-use and well-being. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(4), 268-270.
  • Montag, C., Rozgonjuk, D., Riedl, R., & Sindermann, C. (2022). On the associations between videoconference fatigue, burnout and depression including personality associations. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 100409.
  • Montag, C., Solms, M., Stelzel, C. & Davis, K. L. (2022). The future of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales: a reflection on seven pressing matters. Personality Neuroscience, 5, e10.
  • Montag, C., Sanwald, S., Widenhorn-Müller, K., GenEmo Research Group, & Kiefer, M. (2022). Investigating primary emotional systems and the Big Five of Personality including their relations in patients with major depression and healthy control persons. Neuropsychoanalysis, 24(2), 149-158.