Science & Law

Ashley Votruba (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Law-Psychology Program and Social Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and has a Courtesy Appointment at the Nebraska College of Law. Dr. Votruba is the director of the Culture, Conflict, and Law Lab. She maintains an active research program examining how social perception and dispute system design influence access to civil justice and conflict management. Dr.

Tess Neal, Ph.D. is the director of the Law-Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. A scientist and licensed psychologist, Dr. Neal focuses her research on the intersection of science and the law, examining the quality of expert evidence and human decision-making in legal contexts. 

Dr. Christal Sheppard was the first Director of the first United States Patent and Trademark Office located outside of the nation’s capital in 227 years. Prior to joining the Agency, she was assistant professor of law at the University of Nebraska where she co-founded a program of Concentrated Study in Intellectual Property law. In 2018, she joined IPwe, a patent based, startup company headquartered in Paris, France, as Executive Vice President for Strategy and Business Development.

Professor Centner joined the law faculty in 2019. His research focuses on the agricultural-environmental interface looking at current issues from a scientific and legal perspective. He has published more than 160 scientific papers and law review articles, and has lectured in 50 countries around the world. He has also published four books: Empty Pastures; Blame Culture; Environmental Law and the Protection of People; and Consumers, Meat and Animal Products.