Education
Ph.D., Psychology
CUNY Graduate Center, 2014
M.A., Forensic Psychology
John Jay College of Criminal
Justice, 2012
B.A., Psychology
Loyola College in Maryland, 2009
Areas of Expertise
Human Factors in Forensic Science
Life After Wrongful Conviction
Police Interrogations & False
Confessions
The PLaTO Lab
Dr. Kukucka's PLaTo (Psychology and Law at Towson) Lab consists of graduate and undergraduate
students who are interested in applying psychological science to the criminal justice
system.
To learn more about Dr. Kukucka's extensive research on human factors in forensic
science and life after exonerations, visit his Google Scholar and OSF profiles, and read about the work underway in the PLaTO Lab.
Biography
Dr. Kukucka holds a B.A. in Psychology from Loyola College in Maryland (2009), an
M.A. in Forensic Psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2012),
and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the CUNY Graduate Center. He served on the federal
OSAC for Forensic Science from 2019 to 2025, and he oversaw Maryland's audit of the Office of the Chief Medical
Examiner which concluded in 2025. He also frequently testifies as an expert witness
and educates legal, forensic, academic, and public audiences on psycholegal issues.
Research Interests
Dr. Kukucka is broadly interested in the psychological causes and consequences of
miscarriages of justice in the criminal legal system, with a particular focus on understanding
and protecting against bias and error in forensic science and medicolegal decision-making.
in the media
- Dr. Kukucka's Psychology Today blog, Reasonable Doubt, looks at the many ways in which psychology can help us understand, and prevent,
miscarriages of criminal justice.
- With George Floyd, a Raging Debate Over Bias in the Science of Death, The New York Times, April, 2021.
Selected Publications
Stewart, C. K., & Kukucka, J. (2025). Cognitive bias affects perception and decision-making in simulated facial
recognition searches. Behavioral Sciences, 15, 1094.
Kukucka, J., & Famulegun, O. (2024). “Not scientific” to whom? Laypeople misjudge manner of death
determinations as scientific and definitive. Wrongful Conviction Law Review, 5, 42-58.
Kukucka, J. (2022). On the (mis)calculation of forensic science error rates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, e2215695119.
Dror, I. E., & Kukucka, J. (2021). Linear sequential unmasking–expanded (LSU-E): A general approach for improving
decision making as well as minimizing noise and bias. Forensic Science International: Synergy, 3, 100161.
Dror, I. E., Melinek, J., Arden, J. L., Kukucka, J., Hawkins, S., Carter, J., & Atherton, D. (2021). Cognitive bias in forensic pathology
decisions. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 66, 1751-1757.
Kukucka, J., Kassin, S. M., Zapf, P. A., & Dror, I. E. (2017). Cognitive bias and blindness:
A global survey of forensic science examiners. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6, 452-459.
Kassin, S. M., Dror, I. E., & Kukucka, J. (2013). The forensic confirmation bias: Problems, perspectives, and proposed solutions.
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2, 42-52.
Courses Taught
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PSYC 212: Behavioral Statistics
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PSYC 687: Advanced Experimental Design I
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PSYC 688: Advanced Experimental Design II
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PSYC 689: Multivariate Methods
Honors and Awards
- 2026 USM Board of Regents Faculty Award for Public Service
- 2024 AP-LS (APA Division 41) Early Career Teaching and Mentoring Award
- 2021 Association for Psychological Science "Rising Star"
- 2020 AP-LS (APA Division 41) Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence
- 2018 Towson University Honors College Professor of the Year
- 2017 Psi Chi Eastern Regional Faculty Advisor Award
