Jared M. Trujillo is an Associate Professor of Law at the CUNY School of Law. He teaches Constitutional Law, legal writing, and courses focused on the criminal and juvenile legal systems. Previously, he served as Senior Policy Counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union, President of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, and as a criminal defense attorney at the Legal Aid Society NYC. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University School of Law from 2016 through 2021. CUNY School of Law - Associate Professor New York Civil Liberties Union - Senior Policy Counsel Legal Aid Society NYC - Juvenile Defense Attorney Hofstra University School of Law - Adjunct Professor His research and advocacy focus on sentencing reform , bail policy , solitary confinement , policing of LGBTQ+ communities , Communications Decency Act Section 230 , foster care , and decriminalization of sex work . His publications analyze legislative impacts, systemic inequalities, and policy advocacy within criminal and juvenile legal systems. Jared's recent law review article on sentencing reform (2023) explores multigenerational poverty reduction through legal system changes. His 2022-2023 essays address solitary confinement ethics, policing reform, and bail system critiques, reflecting ongoing engagement with media and policy debates.
Susan Fino is a Professor at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University. Her research focuses on public law, American constitutional law, administrative law, and the role of state supreme courts. She holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. She has received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her courses include American Government (PS1010) and Constitutional Law (PS5110/PS5120), taught across multiple terms from 2023 to 2025. Dr. Fino's research explores judicial federalism, state constitutional frameworks, and legal interpretations of rights. Her work analyzes topics like church-state relations, taxation provisions in state constitutions, and assisted suicide debates. She has written extensively on state supreme court dynamics, including landmark cases and institutional performance metrics. Her scholarship bridges legal theory with practical governance challenges at both state and federal levels. Her publications span over three decades, addressing evolving legal landscapes such as the Rehnquist Court’s federalism approach and technological impacts on criminal sentencing. She consistently engages with issues at the intersection of law, politics, and societal values.
Kevin D. Ashley is a Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is also a senior scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center and an adjunct professor of computer science at the University of Pittsburgh. His interdisciplinary work bridges artificial intelligence, legal analytics, and ethical reasoning. JD, Harvard Law School M.A. and PhD, University of Massachusetts BA, Princeton University His research focuses on computational modeling of legal reasoning , AI and ethics , legal text analytics , and case-based reasoning . He has pioneered AI applications for legal decision support, automated argumentation, and bias detection in legal corpora. Recent publications include studies on large language models in legal annotation, argument mining, and empirical legal analysis. His work has been supported by multiple National Science Foundation grants, emphasizing fairness in AI and access to justice. 2022 Codex Prize for Computational Law 2015 University of Massachusetts Outstanding Achievement Award 2002 AAAI Fellow for AI in Law contributions 2000 Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award A former President of the International Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law, Ashley has held visiting roles at the University of Bologna, Stanford CodeX, and IBM Watson Research Center. He co-edits the journal Artificial Intelligence and Law and teaches courses on applied legal analytics.
Todd Sorensen is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced), affiliated with the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts and the Economics and Business Management department. He holds fellowships at IZA (Institute of Labor Economics) and GLO (Global Labor Organization). Prior to UC Merced, he served as an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno (2014–2023) and an Assistant Professor at UC Riverside (2007–2014). His professional journey includes a visiting role as Visiting Associate Professor at UC Merced before his current appointment in 2022. Education: PhD in Economics, University of Arizona, 2007 Research Interests: Todd's work focuses on labor market structures , exploring topics like monopsony power and wage-setting dynamics; immigration , including its demographic and policy implications; and discrimination , particularly in criminal sentencing and labor markets. His research has been published in journals like ILR Review , Labour Economics , and the Journal of Population Economics , with findings cited in the U.S. Economic Report of the President. Scientific Awards: Fellow at IZA (2022–present) Fellow at GLO (2022–present) Advising & Grants: Todd has advised students across various levels but no specific advisees are listed. His grants and funding sources are not detailed in the provided text. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and maintains affiliations across UC campuses through his and his spouse’s academic careers. Labs/Teams: Engaged with research networks at IZA and GLO, focusing on labor market policies and migration studies. Active in collaborative projects analyzing immigration trends, labor market competition, and discrimination metrics.
Sakari Melander is a Professor at the Faculty of Law , University of Helsinki, specializing in Criminal Law , with a focus on constitutionalization, Europeanization, and sentencing policies. His work bridges theoretical criminal law with practical legislative and policy challenges. Key research areas include EU criminal law, constitutional constraints on criminal legislation, and general doctrines of criminal law. He has extensive experience in parliamentary legal consultation, providing expert opinions to Finland’s Legislative Committees (e.g., on immigration control, anti-corruption directives, and digital evidence handling). Recent publications address topics like EU corporate sanction policies, constitutionalization of criminal law, and reforms in Finnish sentencing systems. His 2025 article in the New Journal of European Criminal Law explores balancing administrative and criminal sanctions in the EU. Scientific awards include: Hilkka ja Otto Brusiin Foundation Thesis Prize (2001) Magister Bonus – Good Teacher Award (2014) Primustohtori Award (2010) Year’s Teacher (2010) Year’s Opponent (2008) He leads research projects such as Criminal Law Under Pressure: Differentiation and Harmonization (2012-2015) and Assessment of Human Trafficking Sanction Practices (2021-2022), and supervises doctoral theses on criminal law topics.
Stephen Billings is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder, where he holds the Global Real Estate Capital Markets Chair position. He serves as the faculty director of the MS in Real Estate program and research director for the CU Real Estate Center. His work spans multiple research centers including the Center for Research on Consumer Financial Decision Making and the Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate. Billings received his PhD in Economics from the University of Colorado, a MS in urban planning from the University of North Carolina, and a BS in economics from Georgetown University. Prior to joining CU Boulder in 2016, he was faculty at the University of North Carolina Charlotte with appointments in both economics and public policy, where he also served as faculty director for the real estate center. His research focuses on the intersection of housing, schools, neighborhoods and crime, addressing critical policy issues including the impact of public investment in light-rail transit on neighborhoods, school segregation's influence on academic achievement and crime, neighborhood gentrification causes, lead-based paint in low-income housing, and the effects of sea level rise and natural disasters on neighborhood sorting and household finances. Billings employs sophisticated analysis of large micro-datasets with studies based on data and policies in Charlotte, NC and Denver, CO. His work connects urban economics with public policy, demonstrating how neighborhood environments shape individual outcomes across multiple dimensions. Billings' recent publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on neighborhood effects, school choice impacts, crime economics, and housing market dynamics. His work frequently examines the intersection of race, housing, and economic outcomes, with particular attention to policy implications. He has developed innovative methodological approaches to studying residential amenities and neighborhood spillovers, with increasing attention to climate change impacts on housing markets. His research appears in top journals including The Quarterly Journal of Economics, American Economic Review: Insights, and Journal of Urban Economics. As an educator, Billings teaches undergraduate and masters classes in real estate finance and economics, as well as doctoral and masters level courses on cost-benefit analysis and statistical methods. He has extensive consulting experience conducting economic impact studies, including assessments of North Carolina's public higher education system, affordable housing needs in Colorado communities, and the economic effects of marijuana legalization on property markets. His practical policy work complements his academic research, creating a bridge between theoretical insights and real-world applications. Billings leads significant research initiatives through the CU Real Estate Center, where he directs studies examining the impact of business improvement districts and other urban development policies. His work bridges academic research with practical policy applications, making substantial contributions to our understanding of how housing, education, and neighborhood environments shape individual outcomes and community development. His December 2023 memo on the HUD Officer Next Door Program exemplifies his engagement with current housing policy issues.
Patrick Metze is Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law, where he has served since 2008. He initially joined as an adjunct professor teaching the criminal defense clinic in 2007 and became a full-time Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinics in May 2008. He was promoted to Professor of Law with tenure in September 2012. Professor Metze has established several groundbreaking clinical programs including the Capital Punishment Clinic (2010), the Caprock Regional Public Defender Office and Clinic (2010) - the first full-time public defender office operated from within a law school, and the Texas Tech School of Law Innocence Clinic (2016). Professor Metze earned his B.A. from Texas Tech University in 1970 and his J.D. from the University of Houston in 1973. Before joining academia, he maintained a private law practice in Levelland and Lubbock, Texas for over 30 years, initially handling general practice including banking, collections, corporate law, and oil and gas matters, but shifting focus to criminal and family law following the 1986 oil industry collapse in West Texas. He was one of only 14 attorneys qualified for appointment as first chair in Capital Murder cases in the 9th Administrative Judicial Region. Professor Metze's research focuses on criminal law and procedure, with particular emphasis on capital punishment, innocence projects, and the school-to-prison pipeline. His publications reveal a consistent concern with constitutional protections, ethical obligations of courts and practitioners, and systemic reforms in criminal justice. His work spans both theoretical analysis of legal principles and practical guidance for criminal defense attorneys. Among his professional recognitions, Professor Metze is a Life Fellow of The Texas Bar Foundation and maintains membership in The Pro Bono College of the State of Texas. His presentations at numerous professional seminars demonstrate his active engagement with the criminal defense bar and commitment to advancing legal practice. Professor Metze has served on various committees including the Criminal Justice Council of the State Bar of Texas, the Advisory Committee to the Lubbock Special Needs Defenders Office, and as a former board member of the Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (where he served as President) and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Elliott Ash is an Associate Professor of Law, Economics, and Data Science at ETH Zurich's Center for Law & Economics. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and J.D. from Columbia University, a B.A. in Economics, Government, and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin, and an LL.M. in International Criminal Law from the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on empirical legal studies using econometrics, NLP, and ML, examining topics like judicial behavior, legislative impact, and AI-driven governance. He has been funded by the ERC, Swiss NSF, and others. Research Interests: Elliott explores automation of legal decisions, text-as-data analysis in law, and the intersection of AI with legal systems. He develops tools like BallotBot and LePaRD to enhance legal transparency and public understanding. His work bridges law, economics, and computer science, with publications in top journals like the American Economic Journal and Review of Economics and Statistics . Teaching: Courses include Building a Robot Judge , Natural Language Processing for Law , and Big Data for Public Policy . He co-organizes the Zurich Workshop in AI+Economics and Monash-Warwick-Zurich Text-as-Data Workshops. Awards: European Research Council Starting Grant, Swiss National Science Foundation Grant, and multiple grants from U.S. and Swiss institutions. His work has been featured in NPR , VoxEU , and Georgetown Law Journal . Labs/Teams: Leads the Swiss AI Initiative's Human-AI Alignment team, collaborates with the CEPR on Political Economy research, and serves as an Economic Journal Associate Editor.
Andrew Ollett is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago , where he has taught since 2019. His research focuses on the literary and intellectual traditions of South and Southeast Asia, particularly through works in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Kannada from the first millennium CE. Co-founder and editor of NESAR (New Explorations in South Asia Research) Director of NEH-funded edition/translation of the Kavirājamārga (earliest Kannada literary manual) Expert in Prakrit and Kannada literary traditions His work explores the 'question of language'—examining how language choice shaped cultural production and change in premodern India. Current projects include a monograph on context-sensitivity in Indian language theories and a study of manuscript technology's impact on early South Asian knowledge communities. He has authored The Mirror of Ornaments (Naples: Unior Press, 2025) and Language of the Snakes (UC Press, 2017), and co-authored Lilavai (Harvard, 2021). Recent publications include interdisciplinary studies on: Sanskrit-Prakrit campū genre reevaluation Pragmatics in Mīmāṁsā interpretive concepts Manuscript literacy's influence on literary forms Historical linguistics of Middle Indic syllable reduction Philosophy of language in Śālikanātha and Kumārila Bhaṭṭa Awarded the NEH 'Scholarly Editions and Translations' grant , he teaches classical South Asian literature courses covering Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil traditions. He maintains digital resources including a Prakrit Digital Texts Project and Mīmāṁsādigdarśinī digital text repository, and actively contributes to open-access scholarship.
Maria Fitzpatrick is Professor in Cornell University's Department of Policy Analysis and Management and Director of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. A Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, she holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia (2008) and specializes in child/family policy and education economics. Research examines early childhood education impacts, teacher compensation and retirement systems, child maltreatment reporting, and incarceration effects on families. Notable studies analyze universal pre-kindergarten programs, teacher pension reforms, and maternal incarceration's impact on birth outcomes. Current projects investigate child welfare decision-making algorithms and prison visitation policies. Fellowships include the Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Early Career Fellowship and postdoctoral positions at Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research. She has advised government agencies including the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and Queensland Rail.
Julian Jara-Ettinger is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Computer Science at Yale University. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT (2016). His research focuses on understanding the cognitive and computational mechanisms underlying human social behavior, including fairness, linguistic communication, gesture, moral reasoning, and pedagogy. He employs interdisciplinary methods such as computational modeling, eye-tracking, cross-cultural studies, and developmental research to bridge psychology and artificial intelligence. Key research areas include the development of social cognition in children, the integration of theory of mind with communication, and the application of cognitive science principles to build socially intelligent machines. His work emphasizes how humans infer others' knowledge, intentions, and desires, with implications for AI safety and ethical systems design. Publications span topics like epistemic inference, moral judgments, and the computational foundations of social interaction. His lab's research often intersects with evolutionary simulations, neural modeling, and cultural psychology. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the provided text. Collaborations involve cross-disciplinary teams addressing challenges in developmental science, AI ethics, and cognitive robotics. His work has practical applications in educational strategies, social policy, and human-AI collaboration frameworks.
Dr. Steven Kemp is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Law at the University of Girona, Spain. His research focuses on the intersection of criminal law, cybercrime, and criminological analysis, with affiliations to institutions like UNICRI, Open University of Catalonia, and the Institute of Public Security of Catalonia. His work spans digital security, fraud victimization, and sentencing disparities. Current roles: Serra Hunter Fellow, University of Girona (2023–present); Collaborating Teacher, UNICRI (2024–present) Previous roles: Associate Professor, University of Girona (2015–2021); Postdoctoral Researcher, Pompeu Fabra University (2021–2023) and University of Manchester (2021) His research interests include: Cybercrime dynamics during global crises (e.g., pandemic-related fraud trends) Victimization patterns in digital societies, particularly among older adults Legal implications of smart technologies and cybersecurity frameworks Comparative criminal justice systems, especially plea bargaining and sentencing disparities Key trends in his recent publications (2025–2019) highlight: Rising cyberfraud incidents and their societal impacts Interdisciplinary approaches to digital security and legal systems Statistical modeling of crime trends post-COVID-19 Behavioral responses to cybercrime risks Scientific recognition includes: Serra Hunter Fellow He actively collaborates with research groups like the Research Group in the Seminar of Criminal and Criminological Sciences and contributes to public policy initiatives in cybersecurity and fraud prevention.
Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyNorway
Jon Atle Gulla is a Professor at NTNU and Director of the Norwegian Research Centre for AI Innovation (NorwAI). He holds academic leadership roles, including former Head of the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at NTNU. His expertise spans Semantics, Language Technology, Recommender Systems, and AI-driven innovation. He has nearly 150 international publications and advised over 100 students across MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral levels. Education: MSc in Computer Science (1988), PhD in Computer Science (1993) from Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) MSc in Linguistics (1995), University of Trondheim MSc in Management (Sloan fellowship, 2003), London Business School Research interests focus on Semantics and Language Technology applied to Recommender Systems, Information Retrieval, and Text Analysis. He explores AI-based innovations in digitalization and entrepreneurship, advising industry on AI adoption and commercialization. Notable projects include Big Data collaborations with DNB, RecTech for news recommendation, and Trondheim Analytica analyzing political texts/social media. Publications emphasize AI applications in news recommendation, political text analysis, and Scandinavian language models. His work addresses ethical AI, copyright implications, and cross-lingual NLP challenges. Awards: Member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Arts and Sciences. Advising/grants: Supervised 30 PhD students and 70 MSc students. Involved in startups like Fast Search & Transfer (acquired by Microsoft) and Mito.ai/Strise.ai. Active in reviewing for journals like Data & Knowledge Engineering and conferences like ACL. Labs/teams: Leads NorwAI, co-founder of INRA and NOBIDS workshops. Collaborates with industry and academia on AI-driven solutions.
Eyal Aharoni is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Georgia State University's College of Arts & Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (2009) and bachelor's degrees in psychology and religious studies from the same institution. Dr. Aharoni's research program bridges psychology, neuroscience, and legal studies with particular focus on: Risk models for antisocial behavior Application of neuroscience to legal contexts (neurolaw) Impact of emotion and cognitive bias on criminal, moral, legal, and political decision making Psychopathy and criminal justice outcomes His scholarly work demonstrates a consistent interdisciplinary approach to understanding the psychological and neurobiological underpinnings of criminal behavior and legal decision-making. Through experimental, longitudinal, and neuroimaging methodologies, Aharoni investigates how cognitive, behavioral, evolutionary, and neurobiological factors influence criminal justice outcomes and potential reforms. Dr. Aharoni maintains an active research laboratory and welcomes PhD students in psychology, with potential funding opportunities in neuroethics. His current research interests include ethical implications of neuroscience technologies and associated issues in cognitive neuroscience, moral psychology, legal psychology, and forensic psychology. His professional experience includes: Research Associate at the RAND Corporation Postdoctoral fellowship at The MIND Research Network for Neurodiagnostic Discovery and the University of New Mexico Psychology Research positions at the Research Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior Research positions at the Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research
Professor David Nelken is a distinguished academic in the field of law and legal studies, currently serving as Professor of Comparative and Transnational Law at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London. He previously held positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Cambridge, University College London, and the University of Macerata (Italy) as a Distinguished Professor. His academic career includes roles as Distinguished Research Professor at Cardiff University (1995–2013) and Visiting Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford (2010–2014). Professor Nelken's research focuses on comparative sociology of law, criminology, and legal/social theory. He has made significant contributions to understanding global social indicators, juvenile justice, white-collar crime, and international criminal justice. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining theoretical inquiry with empirical research. His notable awards include the American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholar Award (1985), Sellin-Glueck International Award (2009), and Fellowships from the British Academy (2023) and the Academy of Social Sciences (2009). He has served on editorial boards of leading journals and contributed to global legal governance initiatives, including the SCOPUS Database evaluation committee. Professor Nelken has advised on criminal justice systems globally, including roles in Scotland’s Children’s Hearings and Italian Regional Crime Committees. He is actively involved in PhD supervision, having been awarded supervisory excellence in multiple years. His teaching spans Jurisprudence, Law & Social Theory, and Sociology of Law at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
