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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1691171396826-R1I4H751H9GMU8GIJ2V7/IMG_5041.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1691171356976-TV5WT2ZF9ZC5D0QO4F55/IMG_8758.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1785442110315-P6DHWFSA8C7ZS272B4OS/2026-07-30+10.22.22.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/014fe14b-331f-4aa5-a5b5-ef2608985d9f/Headshot.jpg Lab + Trainees - Penny Lowe Penelope Lowe began as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2025. She received a B.S. in Psychology and Criminal Justice from the University of Roehampton in 2025. Penelope’s interests include biopsychosocial criminology and justice policy, particularly trauma and the interactions between micro- and macro-factors that affect decision-making in courts and sentencing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/db2b35b6-8c26-4a4f-95e1-b21c01bb4a2c/badgephoto_cohen.jpg Lab + Trainees - Tova Cohen Tova Cohen began as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2025. She received a B.A. in Religious Studies from Scripps College in 2020 and an M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama in 2025. Tova’s research interests include courtroom workgroups, legal decision-making and deliberation, pretrial release, and the future of online adjudication processes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/c9c00988-ffba-43e3-94c4-d53dab259f61/Professional.PNG Lab + Trainees - Madison Baczuk Madison Baczuk began as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2024. She received B.A. degrees in criminology and criminal justice, communication, and philosophy from the University of Northern Colorado. Madison's research interests include neurocriminology, biopsychosocial criminology, morality and ethics, international justice systems, corrections, and prison culture, adverse childhood experiences, and child welfare systems. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/b22b5fc6-143b-4bd2-a07f-8ae3c0005ebb/Isabella+Polito+-+Lab+Picture.jpg Lab + Trainees - Isabella Polito Isabella Polito started as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2023. She received a B.A. in Criminology, Law, & Society and a B.A. in Psychological Science from the University of California, Irvine. Isabella’s research interests include how the justice system responds to offending–and how these responses sustain racial and economic inequalities as well as impact intergenerational opportunities and mobility. She focuses in particular on political and psychological factors that contribute to inequities in the legal system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/effc700f-4bde-4e90-8b83-3def6302daaa/IMG_2869.jpg Lab + Trainees - Emily Greberman Emily Greberman started as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2022. She received a B.S. from Drexel University in Criminology & Justice Studies and Psychology, and a M.S. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Emily’s research interests include corrections and carceral relationships, legal decision-making, comparative justice, and public health/drug policy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/7c41cb72-c404-4b50-b93d-5c838a65fbe6/9v58gf8h.jpg Lab + Trainees - Carrigan Raketic Carrigan Raketic was an undergraduate researcher in the Berryessa Lab through Rutgers' RISE program in Summer 2026. She will earn a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Central Florida in Spring 2027. Carrigan's research interests include how compassion fatigue affects first responders and how environmental and socioeconomic factors indirectly influence criminality in urban societies. Carrigan published her first academic paper, which examined the potential correlation between lead contamination in public drinking water and violent crime statistics in Chicago communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/ede3e2b3-ace0-462a-9153-c681d17c1ecb/Image.jpeg Lab + Trainees - Carolina Caliman Carolina R. Caliman received her Ph.D. from the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in 2026, under the supervision of Dr. Berryessa. She received her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and she is fluent in Portuguese (native speaker). Carolina’s research interests focus on courts and sentencing at the intersection of law and psychology, especially involving mental health and substance addiction, and their impacts on sentencing and public opinion. She completed a three-study, mixed-methods dissertation titled “Bridging the Gap: Navigating Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Criminal Justice System.” Carolina is now an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of West Florida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/23a14101-cc88-47c8-9c12-971977ddd48e/Ashley+Balavender.jpg Lab + Trainees - Ashley Balavender Ashley Balavender was a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Colleen Berryessa and a part-time lecturer at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. She received her B.A. in English Literature and Journalism from Brooklyn College. Before her studies, Ashley worked at the Center for Employment Opportunities, partnering with New York parole officers to help returning citizens find employment. Ashley’s research interests are on community supervision and the perceptions and decision-making of justice system front-line staff. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/6503769a-f964-465e-afdb-6c583ac4d3ec/sandy-.jpeg Lab + Trainees - Sandy Xie Sandy Xie received her Ph.D. from the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in 2025, under the supervision of Dr. Berryessa. She received her B.A. in Criminology with minors in Neuroscience and Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University and her M.S. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Sandy’s research interests include neurocriminology, neuroethics, biopsychosocial criminology, morality, bias and stigma, and mental health in the criminal justice system. She completed a three-study, mixed-methods dissertation titled “Perceptions of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Courts: Implications of Bias, Stigma, and Other Factors on Defendant Outcomes.” Sandy won the first-place dissertation award from the American Psychology-Law Society in 2026. Sandy is now a Research Analyst at the Brennan Center for Justice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/791e66dc-97f7-4682-a1ae-4dcd163f355d/Picture1.png Lab + Trainees - Mia Thomaidou Mia Thomaidou was a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers, supervised by Dr. Berryessa, from 2022 to 2024. She was funded by a Rubicon Grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to conduct a project aimed at bridging the bio-behavioral and criminal justice fields and understanding how science is used in criminal courts. Mia received a BSc in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Westminster, London and Oxford University. She also holds MSc degrees in Neuropsychology and Crime and Criminal Justice. She completed her Ph.D. at Leiden University, where she focused on the cognitive components of physical pain. Mia is now the Associate Director, Fellowships & Professional Learning, for the New York Academy of Sciences. Her website is https://www.miathomaidou.com/. https://www.colleenberryessa.com/honors-awards daily 0.75 2026-07-27 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/book-contributions daily 0.75 2026-08-10 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/teaching daily 0.75 2023-05-17 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/legalmentions daily 0.75 2026-08-07 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/media-mentions daily 0.75 2026-09-10