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Criminal Justice Professor Named Researcher of the Year

Dr. Tara Richards of the UNO School of Criminology and Criminal Justice was recently named Faculty Researcher of the Year by the American Society of Criminology.

tara richards, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice

Dr. Tara Richards, associate professor within the UNO School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (SCCJ) was named the American Society of Criminology Division of Victimology Faculty Researcher of the Year.

The Division of Victimology (DOV) Faculty Researcher of the Year Award is awarded to a scholar who has made a significant contribution in the area of victimology in the past two years.

Dr. Richards attributes her career success and the reason behind receiving this honor due to the SCCJ’s Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab. The lab is dedicated to training the next generation of Victimologists, and Richards has the pleasure of mentoring a talented team of five Ph.D. students who are actively engaged in federally funded research.

“It is humbling to be recognized by my colleagues as a scholar at the top of our field,” says Dr. Richards. “This award reflects SCCJ’s Area of Excellence in Victimology, and the faculty- and graduate student-team we have built in our Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab.”

“Dr. Richards is an outstanding victimology researcher whose work is positively impacting the lives of those impacted by crime,” shares Dr. Gaylene Armstrong, Director of the UNO School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “She is a fantastic collaborator and mentor. We are all so proud of this well-deserved recognition.”

The mission of the Division of Victimology is to promote the professional growth and development of its members through scholarship, pedagogy, and practices associated with the field of Victimology. The Division of Victimology strives to ensure that its members will 1) contribute to the evolution of the Victimology discipline by supporting and disseminating cutting edge research, 2) develop and share pedagogical resources, 3) support professional enhancement workshops and activities, 4) embrace the development of evidence-informed programs and services, 5) advance victims’ rights, and 6) encourage the advancement of the intersection of scholarship and practices.

About the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is a nationally recognized leader in the scientific study of the causes of crime and criminal justice system responses. Faculty are subject matter experts in youth and adult victimization, correctional excellence, policing, and global terrorism among other critical areas of criminal justice.