Previous Lab Members​

Fall 2023

After Tess Neal moved to Iowa State University, ASU PhD student Ciera Arnett (top right) and ASU MS student Nicky Sandberg (bottom) continued meeting as the students finish their graduate programs.

Fall 2022

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

Spring 2022

Fall 2021

From top left, Kristen McCowan, Ciera Arnett, Elizabeth Mathers, Emma Saiter, Emily Denne, and Tess Neal (on sabbatical in Australia!).

Tess was on sabbatical, but we still met regularly. This day we had our "CV workshop" with Elizabeth Mathers, Emily Denne, Kristen McCowan, and Emma Saiter.

Spring 2021

Fall 2020

From top left, Beth Growns at left, Emma Saiter at right. Middle row from left: Emily Denne, Alexandria Ventress. Bottom left: Jason Frizzell, Kristen McCowan, Lindsey LeCates, Jake Plantz, Elizabeth Mathers, Tess Neal. Not pictured: Robin McCowan, Noell Thompson, Ali McCoy

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.

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.

                                               Fall 2019
From left: Karey O'Hara (new faculty), Annelisse Velazquez, Annanicole Fine, Emily Denne, Kristen McCowan, Samantha Bean, Emily Fatula, Jake Plantz, Emily Line, Logan Bussey, Elizabeth Mathers, Sarah Selman, Laura Smalarz (new faculty), Breanna Olsen, Robin Milligan, Jonathan Barcelo, and Tess Neal. Not pictured: Bethany Growns (NSF postdoc).

                                              Spring 2019
From left: Tess Neal, Jake Plantz, Emily Denne, Stephanie Rincon, Kristen McCowan, Elizabeth Mathers, Robin Milligan, Emily Line. Not pictured: Emily Fatula and Annelisse Velazquez.

Summer 2018
From left: Jake Plantz, James McLean, Ali McCoy, Ashley Trow.

                                                Fall 2016
​From left: Jeffrey Haas, Tess Neal, Rebecca Velez, Cassidy Siso, Brian Howatt, Morgan Hight, Cassandra Hamza.  Not pictured: Caitlyn Quamme and Hannah Goddard.

                                        Spring 2016
​From top left: Sierra Marshall, Rebecca Velez, Tess Neal, Dennis Ramos.  From bottom left: Caitlyn Quamme, Jeffrey Haas, Hannah Goddard, Carina Philipp.

Previous Postdoctoral Students

 Bethany Growns
NSF Law & Science Postdoctoral Fellow (2019 & 2020)

Beth Growns was an NSF-funded postdoctoral scholar in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at ASU in 2019 and 2020. She received a Bachelor in Psychology (Hons.) from the UNSW Sydney in Australia, and a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Ph.D. from UNSW Sydney. Her research focuses on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie forensic science expertise, such as fingerprint or document examiners. After finishing her postdoc with us, she moved onto a research fellowship in the Evidence-Based Justice Lab at the University of Exeter Law School.

Previous Doctoral Students

Ciera Arnett, 2021-2024

Completed graduate training in the Clinical Psychology program at ASU, co-mentored by Tess Neal & Will Corbin. Her interests are in the mechanisms of psychosis, and better understanding the course of substance-induced vs. primary psychosis (with clear legal implications). She is currently on internship in San Diego and plans to work as a licensed psychologist in the community when she finishes internship.

Emily Denne, 2018-2022

Earned PhD from the Law and Psychology program ASU (one of the program's first two graduates!) with a research focus in evidence & bias in child sexual abuse cases, mentored by Tess Neal & Stacia Stolzenberg. Was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to support her graduate work at ASU. Now working as a research professor at Griffith Criminology Institute with Sonja Brubacher & Martine Powell in Brisbane, AUS. 

Kristin McCowan, 2018-2022

Earned a PhD from the Law and Psychology program at ASU (one of the program's first two graduates!) with a research focus on the general role expert and juror biases play within the justice system, mentored by Tess Neal. Postdoc and first job at the Center for Integrity in Forensic Science, applying research to real-world legal and forensic issues. Served as director of Research at DecisionQuest - a major trial consulting firm, and is working as a research analyst with the Maricopa County Sherriff's Office in Phoenix, AZ.

Emma Saiter, 2021-2023

Co-mentored by Dr. Neal and Dr. Nick Schweitzer for her first two years in the PhD program in Law & Psychology at ASU. Then moved to Dr. Schweitzer's lab full-time. 

Previous Master's Students

Pamela "Nicky" Sandberg, 2022-2023

Returned to grad school after practicing as an attorney to learn science for policy relevance. Using her degrees in psychology and law toward effective reform in criminal justice, family law, juvenile delinquency, & mental health law.

Elizabeth Mathers, 2020-22

Served as lab manager while studying psychology (forensic) and biology (pharmacology/ toxicology). Working toward becoming a neuropsychologist.

Emily Line, 2018-2020

Entered the quantitative PhD program in psychology at the University of Illinois after fielding multiple offers of admission to PhD programs.

Morgan Hight, 2016-2018

Secured a job as an audience support analyst at UBM, a market-leading business-to-business event company.

Jake Plantz, 2019-2021

Earned quantitative psych PhD at McGill University after fielding multiple offers. Now working as a research scientist at an educational testing company. 

Cassandra Hamza, 2016-2018

Entered a subsequent graduate program in education and went on to teach special education, psychology, and math in Phoenix-area public schools.

Ashley Trow, 2018

Co-mentored with Nick Schweitzer. Ashley moved on to the PhD program in Counseling Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. Now an Assistant Professor at U. Southern Miss.

Previous Undergraduate Research Assistants

2022-2023

Alex Somoza
​Gaurika Shah

2021-2022

Emily Gran
​Monique Piggott
Damien Styles

2020-2021

Lindsey LeCates
Elizabeth Mathers
Robin Milligan
​Noell Thompson
Alexandria Ventress

2018/19-2020

Jonathan Barcelo
​Jake Plantz
Sarah Selman
Annelisse Velazquez

2018-2019

Emily Fatula
​James Mathers
​Ali McCoy
Stephanie Rincon

2015-2017

Megan Irgens
​Bibiana Oliveira
​Cassidy Siso
Rebecca Velez

2015-2016

Hannah Goddard
Jeffrey Haas
​Sierra Marshall
Caitlyn Quamme
​​Dennis Ramos

International Visiting Scholar - Carina Philipp M.Sc. (Spring 2016) 

I'm Carina Philipp, and I'm from Switzerland. I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology form the University of Zurich and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy from the University of Berne. I am interested in the intersection between Clinical Psychology and the Law. I was at the Clinical and Legal Judgment Lab as a visiting scholar for one semester to gain experience about Psychology-Law in the US and learn more about how to conduct research.  I worked on a project in which we categorized the psychological evaluation tools used by forensic psychologists around the world.  I also worked on a comparative analysis of the Swiss and US legal systems' use of expert witnesses. After leaving, I became a forensic psychologist at the Zurich Law Enforcement Office, Department of Justice, Canton of Zurich. (Update: Tess went to Switzerland to visit Carina 12/2023!)