By Robert Belli, Professor of Psychology, Social and Cognitive, and Neuroscience and Behavior Programs
Professor of Psychology and Courtesy Professor of Law Brian Bornstein is retiring at the end of June 2019. During his remarkable career that included 19 years of service at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln (UNL), Brian has been author or editor of 20 books and scores of journal articles and book chapters on the intersection between psychology and law, including exploring topics associated with eyewitness memory and identification, jury decision making, institutional trust, legal consulting, and the nature of justice. Brian has served as the director of the Law-Psychology Program (2015-2017) and area chair of the Social-Personality Program (2005-2007) in the Department of Psychology, and during the past few years, as Program Officer of the Law & Social Sciences Program at the National Science Foundation. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and was affiliated with Louisiana State University holding professorship positions for 9 years before coming to UNL.
During his service at Nebraska, Brian has received numerous awards in teaching and research, including the College of Arts & Sciences Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Achievement in the Social Sciences, and the American Psychology-Law Society Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award. During this past year, Brian received the 2019 American Psychology-Law Society book award as author alongside Edie Greene of "The Jury under Fire: Myth, Controversy, and Reform" (Oxford University Press). He has received a number of research funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice to support his work.
Brian currently plans to live in Durham, North Carolina, continuing to work on unfinished projects and serving as an expert witness in court. I would not be surprised if more books are forthcoming. As one who has been Brian’s golfing partner, I am confident that golf will also consume part of his time. I will miss his good-natured humor and wit on the golf course, which seemed most apparent during his occasional 3-putt greens!