Dr. Avani Sood

Biography

Avani Mehta Sood is a Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, where she also directs the Law & Psychology Lab. Sood's research focuses on the intersection of empirical legal studies and psychology, particularly in the realm of criminal law. She employs empirical methods to investigate the assumptions underlying the criminal legal system and its processes. Through her work, Sood seeks to illuminate the psychological dimensions of legal judgments and the implications of biases in criminal jury trials. Her publications include articles in leading law reviews and peer-reviewed journals such as Stanford Law Review and Harvard Law Review Forum. She is currently writing a book titled "Rules vs. Realities: Crime, Justice, Human Mind," which explores the disconnect between substantive criminal law and the psychological principles that govern it. Sood earned her JD from Yale Law School and holds a PhD and MA in Psychology from Princeton University. Before her tenure at NYU, she spent nine years on the faculty at UC Berkeley School of Law and has served as a visiting professor at several prestigious universities. Sood is also a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has been involved in various collaborative research initiatives within the law and psychology fields.

Research Interests

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