Mangai Natarajan

Mangai Natarajan is a Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of The City University of New York (CUNY). She holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University and has dedicated her career to policy-oriented research in cross-cultural crime studies, gender-based violence, and crime prevention. Her work emphasizes transnational crime, wildlife trafficking, and improving policing for marginalized communities.

Education:

• PhD in Criminal Justice, Rutgers University (1991)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Indo-Japanese Studies, University of Madras (1984)
• MA in Criminology, University of Madras (1982)

Research Focus: Dr. Natarajan's expertise spans criminological theory, crime analysis, and rapid assessment methods (RAM). Her research addresses global issues like domestic violence, drug trafficking, and wildlife crimes. Notable contributions include her books Women Policing in a Changing Society (2008) and International and Transnational Crime and Justice (2019).

Awards:

• Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Award (2017)
• John Jay’s Senior Scholar Award (2014)
• Excellence Research Award for Improving Policing for Women (2013)

Teaching & Leadership: She teaches advanced courses in criminology, crime mapping, and international justice. As Director of the International Criminal Justice Major at John Jay, she shapes interdisciplinary programs. She also mentors Ph.D. students and supervises capstone research projects.

Current Research: Investigating the impact of the pandemic on domestic violence (NSF-funded) and leveraging technology to combat gender-based violence.