Cynthia Lum, Ph.D.

Dr. Cynthia Lum is Director of the CEBCP and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. She researches primarily in the area of evidence-based policing and security. Her works in this area have included evaluations of policing interventions and police technology, understanding the translation and receptivity of research in policing, examining place-based determinants of street-level police decision-making, and assessing security efforts of federal agencies. With Drs. Christopher Koper and Cody Telep she has developed the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix, a translation tool designed for police practitioners to better institutionalize and utilize research into their strategic and tactical portfolio. She is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the IACP, a Member of the Board of Trustees for the Pretrial Justice Institute, and a Fulbright Specialist.

Christopher Koper, Ph.D.

Dr. Christopher S. Koper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University and a senior fellow in the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. Dr. Koper holds a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice (University of Maryland) and has over 20 years of experiencing conducting criminological research at George Mason, the Police Executive Research Forum, the University of Pennsylvania, the Urban Institute, the RAND Corporation, the Police Foundation, and other organizations. Dr. Koper specializes in issues related to firearms, policing, and program evaluation. His work includes studies of the 1994 federal assault weapons ban and other policies and practices to reduce gun violence, studies of hot spots policing (including what is often referred to as the “Koper curve” principal of hot spots patrol), the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix, and studies of police technology.

Linda Merola, Ph.D., JD

Dr. Linda M. Merola is an Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. Professor Merola’s academic interests relate to civil liberties, constitutional law, the judiciary, public opinion and legal psychology. She has published articles concerning terrorism, civil liberties, the judiciary, and various topics related to the public’s interaction with and knowledge of the criminal justice system. Professor Merola received a Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University, where she was awarded the Harold N. Glassman Dissertation Award for the most accomplished dissertation in the social science disciplines. In addition, Professor Merola holds a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, where she served on The George Washington Law Review and was admitted to the Virginia State Bar Association. Professor Merola has also received advanced training in research methodology, statistics and survey/experimental methods through the National Science Foundation and Duke University, as well at the University of Michigan as a recipient of the Miller Scholarship.

James Willis, Ph.D.

James Willis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. He earned his B.A. in Administration of Justice from The Pennsylvania State University and Ph.D. in sociology from Yale University. At Yale he was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow and his dissertation examining the transportation of British convicts to America and Australia was awarded the Sociology Department’s Marvin B. Sussman prize for the best dissertation submitted in the past two years. In 2008 he and his coauthors, Stephen Mastrofski and David Weisburd, received the Law and Society Association’s article prize for a paper they published on Compstat. His current research focuses on examining the craft of policing (including its relationship to science) and assessing the effects of technology on police organization and practice.

Stephen Happeny, J.D.

Stephen Happeny is a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and a graduate research assistant in the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. He received his J.D. from Cleveland State University and his Bachelor’s of Science from Bowling Green University.

Jordan Nichols

Jordan Nichols is currently an undergraduate student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and a research assistant in the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. Her research interests include homeland security, counter-terrorism and evidence-based policy. Jordan is currently working on policing and security projects within the Center.

Heather Vovak, M.A.

Heather Vovak is a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. She received an MA in Political Science from the University of Akron in 2011. Her research interests include evidence-based policing practices, counter-terrorism, crime and place, and research methods. Heather is currently a Graduate Research Assistant in the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy.