Michael Bang Petersen is professor of political science at Aarhus University in Denmark. He has published extensively on multiple subjects including the psychology behind political mistrust, misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as one of the main scientific advisors of the Danish government and was knighted by the Danish Majesty for his contributions. Currently, he is appointed by the Danish government to direct a 5-year audit of the state of Danish democracy.