Dr. Margaret Kovera, presidential scholar and professor in the Department of Psychology, was elected by the membership of the American Psychological Association (APA) to serve a three-year term on its Board of Directors. The APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States.

Kovera is an internationally recognized expert on eyewitness identification and legal decision making. For over twenty-five years, she has had continuous funding (over $2.8 million) from federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, for her research on eyewitness identification, jury decision-making and scientific evidence. Her research has been published in Law and Human Behavior, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Applied Research on Memory and Cognition and Psychology, Public Policy and Law and her book, The Psychology of Juries, won the American Psychology-Law Society (APLS) Book Award.

Kovera, who regularly serves as an expert witness in cases involving eyewitness identification, is a past-president of the American Psychology-Law Society and former editor-in-chief of Law and Human Behavior, the premier outlet for scholarship in psychology and law. She received the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Achievement in Psychology and Law from APLS and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, the Outstanding Teacher and Mentor in Psychology and Law Award from APLS and Distinguished Teaching and Outstanding Scholarly Mentor Awards from John Jay College. Find a more comprehensive biography here.