Itena Dhrami

Itena Dhrami is an Adjunct Lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY), where she has been teaching since 2017. She holds advanced academic qualifications in forensic psychology, international crime and justice, global security studies, and intelligence. Her institutional affiliation is with the College of Criminal Justice at John Jay, a leading institution in criminology and criminal justice education.

• Harvard University – Certificate in International Relations (2021)
• Johns Hopkins University – M.A. in Global Security Studies and Intelligence (2020)
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) – M.A. in International Crime and Justice and Advanced Studies in Terrorism (2016)
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) – M.A. in Forensic Psychology with a focus in Empirical Profiling (2015)
• Columbia University – B.A. in Psychology (2010)

Her research and subject matter expertise lie at the intersection of global security, transnational organized crime, counterterrorism, and human rights. She specializes in Transnational Organized Crime in East Asia, including regions such as Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Her areas of expertise are frequently sought by media and international organizations.

She teaches a range of courses including ICJ101 - International Crime and Justice, SOC351 - Crime and Delinquency in Asia, SOC341 - International Criminology, SOC327 - Advanced Sociological Methodology, SOC301 - Penology, and SOC203 - Criminology. Her academic and professional work reflects a strong commitment to empirical and policy-relevant research in criminology and security studies.

Itena Dhrami is also an active Intelligence Analyst at the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, a bi-state law enforcement agency focused on combating organized crime in the port district. She previously served as an Intelligence Analyst at the New York City Business Integrity Commission and as a Research Analyst with the Research Foundation of the City of New York, focusing on transnational crime, terrorism, human trafficking, and smuggling. Her earlier research roles include work with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit through a collaboration with John Jay College’s Investigative Psychology Research Unit, where she analyzed serial homicide cases to develop empirical profiling models.

• Intelligence Analyst, Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
• Intelligence Analyst, Business Integrity Commission (BIC)
• Research Analyst, Research Foundation of the City of New York
• Research Assistant, John Jay College Investigative Psychology Research Unit (FBI BSU collaboration)
• Research Assistant, Columbia University

She is a network expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), contributing to the development of the Global Organized Crime Index, particularly in assessing East Asian countries. Her humanitarian background includes service with UNHCR, UNICEF, and CARE International during the Serbia-Kosovo conflict, where she collected testimonies for the International Criminal Court and supported refugees and victims of abuse. Born in Albania, her early career involved community facilitation on mine awareness and emergency livelihood assessments under guidance from NATO and international NGOs.

Professional Memberships:

• Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) Network Expert