Lab Director

Tess M.S. Neal, Ph.D. is an Assistant 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 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 is 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; 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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In 2020, she was awarded ASU's Outstanding Mentor Award, and she is a PLuS Alliance Research Fellow. PLuS Alliance Research Fellows are funded through a partnership between ASU, King's College London, and UNSW Sydney to collaborate across borders in pursuit of excellence on their "vision and tenacity to impact the world." She 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.

Postdoctoral Scholars

Bethany Growns
NSF Law & Science Postdoctoral Fellow

I am a postdoctoral scholar in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at ASU. I received a Bachelor in Psychology (Hons.) from the UNSW Sydney in Australia, and a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Ph.D. from UNSW Sydney. My research focuses on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie forensic science expertise, such as fingerprint or document examiners. For example, I'm investigating whether statistical learning is associated with accuracy in visual comparison tasks (e.g. fingerprint comparison tasks), and how different processing and memory models may contribute to the superior visual comparison performance of some examiners.  

PhD Law and Psychology Students

Emily Denne
Project Manager, NSF Expert Bias Grant
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Awardee

I am a 3rd year student at ASU pursuing a PhD in the intersection of psychology & law. My research focus is evidence and bias in child sexual abuse cases. I am looking forward to learning from Dr. Neal (and my co-mentor Stacia Stolzenberg) and contributing to the field. My long term career goals include becoming a professor and providing expert testimony in child sexual abuse cases. ​

Kristen McCowan
​Project Manager, NSF Jury Decision Making Grant

I am a third year PhD student in the Psychology and Law program, and recently defended my master's thesis. I am excited to be working with Dr. Neal and learning more about the intersecting fields. My primary interests include juror decision making, and the general role expert and juror biases play within the justice system. My long term goal is to work in academia or pursue a career in trial consulting.

MS Psychology Students

Jake Plantz
Lab Manager

I am a second-year master’s student at ASU with interests in quantitative methodology and measurement in clinical and social psychology. I am interested in psychometrics and how methods relating to the development and application of psychological assessments can be improved. I am also equally interested in the ways in which assessment can be best used to inform clinical treatment and public policy. I plan to pursue a PhD in either quantitative or clinical psychology after completing my Master's degree.

 Undergraduate Research Assistants 

Lindsey LeCates

I am a senior at ASU obtaining a BS in forensic psychology.
​I plan on continuing my education in psychology and law with a graduate degree. I hope to work in a legal setting in the future, as I have interests in topics such as civil commitment, mental health, and child custody cases. I am very excited to join the CLJ lab, as it will provide excellent research opportunities in various subjects, deepening the understanding of how law and psychology intersect. ​

Elizabeth Mathers

I am a senior at ASU pursuing concurrent degrees in forensic psychology & biology (pharmacology/ toxicology). I plan to continue my education in the future by obtaining a PhD in clinical psychology and hope to someday work with a forensic population. I'm very excited to be a part of the CLJ lab and to make meaningful contributions to research.  Being involved in this lab is a great opportunity to gain firsthand research experience and allows me to continue refining my interests as we explore various topics within the realm of forensic psychology.

Robin Milligan

​I am currently a junior studying Forensic Psychology at ASU. I plan to pursue a post-graduate degree, and eventually work in the legal field. Joining this lab provides an exciting opportunity to gain practical experience in research, and to learn how psychology operates within the law.​  [Watch Robin in a great video here!]

​Noell Thompson

I am currently a senior at ASU studying for my BS in Forensic Psychology. Upon graduation, I plan to further my education at a PhD Clinical Psychology program. I aspire to work with juvenile offender populations and embark on important research that will influence policy making. I am interested in adjudicative competence of youth, capital mitigation, and the public opinion's impact on amendments within legislation. I am excited to join the and hope to expand my knowledge of the significance of investigating intricate topics through research and analysis.

Alexandria Ventress

I am a Senior at UNC Chapel Hill studying Psychology and Management and Society. Joining the Clinical and Legal Judgement Lab gives me the opportunity to gain useful research experience while allowing me to explore the many topics within the intersection of psychology and law, and/or forensic psychology. I plan to continue my education by pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in forensic psychology. 

CLJ Lab, Spring 2020 From left: Karey O'Hara, Beth Growns, Emily Denne, Robin Milligan, Elizabeth Mathers, Emily Line, Kristen McCowan, Jake Plantz, Sarah Selman, Jonathan Barcelo, and Tess Neal. Not pictured: Annelisse Velazquez.

The lab pivoted to Zoom meetings halfway through the term due to the Covid19 pandemic. We still meet weekly, including this coffee-writing group in April 2020, which was productive.

Fall 2020 - we met virtually most weeks due to the pandemic, but met outside twice (masked & socially distanced) - once for a writing group, and once for an end-of-term shindig. From left: Tess Neal, Jake Plantz, Ali McCoy, Alex Ventress, Emily Denne, Kristen McCowan, & Noell Thompson. Not pictured: Beth Growns, Elizabeth Mathers, Robin Milligan, Lindsey LeCates.