معرفی
Avani Mehta Sood is a Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, where she directs the Law & Psychology Lab and holds an Affiliated Faculty appointment in the Department of Psychology. Her research employs empirical methods and psychological theories to critically examine the criminal legal system’s foundational assumptions. Key areas include verdict formats in jury trials, legal rule misunderstandings, and motivated cognition in legal judgments.
Education: PhD (Psychology) and AB (summa cum laude) from Princeton University, JD from Yale Law School. Prior to academia, she clerked for Judge Kimba M. Wood, practiced litigation at Debevoise & Plimpton, and worked with the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Research & Awards: Recipient of the Hellman Faculty Fellowship Award (Berkeley), elected to the American Law Institute and American Bar Foundation (2023). Her work appears in journals like the Stanford Law Review, NYU Law Review, and Annual Review of Law & Social Science.
Teaching: Teaches Criminal Law, Law & Psychology Colloquium, and a seminar on psychological dimensions of criminal law. Courses emphasize empirical approaches to legal questions.
Affiliations: Co-founder of the Law, Society, & Psychological Science Collaborative Research Network. Former faculty at UC Berkeley School of Law (2013–2022), and Visiting Professor at Cornell and University of Chicago.
