Tracey Meares Named American Academy of Political Science 2024 Fellow

Professor Tracey Meares, Walton Hale Hamilton Professor of Law and Founding Director of The Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School, has been named a 2024 Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS).

Each year, the AAPSS selects a small group of scholars and public intellectuals to become fellows of the academy, recognizing their contributions to social science and the extent to which their work has deepened public understanding of social dynamics, according to an announcement.

“At this pivotal moment in our nation’s democracy, we must look to social science thought leaders to help us reimagine American world leadership and secure economic opportunity for future generations,” said AAPSS president Marta Tienda.

Meares was named the 2024 Thorsten Sellin Fellow and joins seven other individuals as AAPSS Fellows. 

Meares is a nationally recognized expert on policing in urban communities. Her research focuses on understanding how members of the public think about their relationship(s) with legal authorities such as police, prosecutors, and judges. She teaches courses on criminal procedure, criminal law, and policy and she has worked extensively with the federal government having served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Law and Justice, a National Research Council standing committee, and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs Science Advisory Board.

In April 2019, Professor Meares was elected as a member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In December 2014, President Obama named her as a member of his Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 

Established in 1889, the American Academy of Political and Social Science promotes the use of social science in the public domain and in policymaking. Its flagship journal, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, brings together scholars and policymakers from across social science disciplines to address issues such as democratic vulnerability, the opioid crisis, and the future impact of the Great Recession.