Dorothy Du

PA Commission on Sentencing Postdoctoral Scholar

Curriculum Vitae:

Dorothy Du

Biography:

Dr. Dorothy Du is a postdoctoral scholar for PA Commission on Sentencing in conjunction with the Criminal Justice Research Center at Penn State University. Dr. Du’s primary research interests surrounding the intersection between brain science and judicial decision making, such as incorporating neuroscience into sentencing guidelines and decisions, enhancing evidence-based practice in juvenile justice, and addressing neuro-ethical concerns regarding judicial sentencing. Her second line of research involves in the application of criminology theory and quantitative methods for causal inference, particularly with a focus on moderation, mediation, and experimental design.

Dr. Du earned her Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society at the University of Florida in 2021, where her dissertation explored the main and interactional effect of neuro-evidence on juror’s perceptions and decision-making processes. Dorothy is an Alum of University of Pennsylvania holding a M.S. in Criminology (2015) and Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Certificate (2016). She also obtained her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology (2014) from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to the current position, Dr. Du worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor (2020-2021) at Guilford College in North Carolina.