Lab Director

Tess M.S. Neal, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology in ASU's School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (one of three schools in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences). She is a founding faculty member of ASU's Law and Behavioral Science Initiative, which won the 2020 President's Award for Innovation. She is also inaugural director of ASU's Future of Forensic Science Initiative. She is a scientist, a licensed psychologist (State of Arizona #4630 and State of Nebraska #844 [voluntary inactive status in NE]), and a parent of two young children. 

Her research has been funded by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, and she has published one edited book and more than three dozen peer-reviewed publications in such journals as Psychological Science in the Public Interest, American Psychologist; PLOS ONE; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; Law and Human Behavior; and Criminal Justice and Behavior. She serves as associate editor for the Journal of Personality Assessment. and Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, and as an Open Science Advisor for Clinical Psychological Science.
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She was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to work with Kristy Martire and others at UNSW Sydney in the Spring of 2022. Her partner and kids were also in Australia for the duration of the fellowship! She was awarded ASU's Outstanding Mentor Award in 2020 and the 2021 Outstanding Teaching & Mentoring Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (Div. 9 of APA). She is a PLuS Alliance Research Fellow, funded through a partnership between ASU, King's College London, and UNSW Sydney to collaborate across borders in pursuit of excellence on "vision and tenacity to impact the world." She was elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in 2021, and was named a 2016 "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science (APS), a designation recognizing outstanding psychological scientists in the earliest stages of their research career post-PhD whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions.  She received the 2016 Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence in Psychology and Law, co-awarded by the American Psychology-Law Society (Div. 41 of APA) and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. 

Her CV is here.

PhD Students

Emily Denne
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Awardee

Earned PhD at ASU with a research focus in evidence and bias in child sexual abuse cases, mentored by Tess Neal & Stacia Stolzenberg. Completing a postdoc at Griffith Criminology Institute with Sonja Brubacher and Martine Powell in Brisbane, Australia. 



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​Kristen McCowan

Earned a PhD at ASU with a research focus on the general role expert and juror biases play within the justice system, mentored by Tess Neal. Working at the Center for Integrity in Forensic Science, applying research to real-world legal issues.



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​Ciera Arnett

I am a 4th year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. My interests primarily lie in investigating the mechanisms of psychosis, from sub-clinical psychotic experiences to diagnosable psychotic disorders. I am very excited to work with Dr. Neal in the CLJ Lab (as well as my co-mentor Will Corbin in the BARCA Lab) to better understand the course of substance-induced vs. primary psychosis and its implications for legal contexts. My goal after grad school is to work as a licensed psychologist in the community.

Emma Saiter
Project Manager, NSF Expert Bias Grant​

I am a second year PhD student in the Law & Psychology program at ASU. I am currently interested in assessing how actors in the court system understand and use psychological science, as well as other types of scientific evidence. I am excited to further develop my research interests in both Dr. Neal's lab and Dr. Schweitzer's lab. I plan to stay in academia and pursue a career as a professor.

MS Psychology Students

Elizabeth Mathers
​Lab Manager

I am a second-year master’s student at ASU. My undergraduate degrees were in psychology (forensic) and biology (pharmachology/toxicology). My interests are seated within psychology-law and neuropsychology along with their clinical applications. I am interested in legal decision-making, expert and lay judgment, perceptions of psychological assessment evidence, and expert bias. I plan to pursue a PhD in psychology.

Pamela ("Nicky") Sandberg, J.D.

I am a first-year master's student that comes from the legal field. As a practicing attorney, I saw firsthand just how badly psychological research is needed in the legal system. I plan to use my degrees in law and psychology to work on effective reform in the fields of criminal justice, family law, juvenile delinquency, and mental health law.

 Undergraduate Research Assistants 

Alex Somoza

I’m a 3rd year student at Arizona State University pursuing a degree in psychology. I love psychology and it’s ability to provide a better understanding of the world we live in. I look forward to learning as much as I can being a student research aide, in hopes it will assist my future career as a psychologist.
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Gaurika Shah

I am a third-year student at Arizona State University, majoring in biology with a minor in psychology. I have always been interested in how the human mind works and why we behave as we do. I am excited to be part of this research community and to learn more about the field of psychology and law. I want to get into med school after graduation with the hope of becoming a psychiatrist one day.

Collaborators Who Are Part of the Lab

Jason Frizzell, PhD

Dr. Frizzell is is a faculty member of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at ASU and is a licensed psychologist in independent practice in the Phoenix metropolitan area. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at ASU and Doctoral degree Texas Tech University. He later completed an internship and a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology. He previously served as a chief psychologist in the Arizona Department of Corrections. He was also formerly employed as a forensic psychologist by the Maricopa County Competency Evaluation and Restoration Programs, where he conducted psychological evaluations for the courts. 

Kristy Martire, PhD

Dr. Martire is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. Her research aims to better understand the development of expertise, processes of evidence evaluation in criminal trials, and to improve the communication between experts and lay decision-makers in forensic settings. She works closely with Dr. Neal and the CLJ Lab through the PLuS Alliance and also hosted Dr. Neal at UNSW during her Fulbright scholarship in Spring 2022. Drs. Neal and Martire were retained by the Mass Casualty Commission to summarize best practices in forensic psychological assessment and apply that framework to a particular psychological autopsy in a major Canadian case.

Fall 2022. From left, Jason Frizzell, Ciera Arnett, Alex Somoza, Elizabeth Mathers, Emma Saiter, and Pamela ("Nicky") Sandberg.

Tenured & Promoted, May 12, 2021!