Welcome to the February 2026
American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Newsletter
Our monthly Newsletter provides information about activities, upcoming events, and resources to connect the psychology-law community.
AP-LS aspires to excel as a valuable, effective, and influential organization advancing the science of psychology-law and the translation of psychology-law knowledge into practice and policy.
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I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday season and are now back into your regular productive routines. It is hard to believe we are already one month into 2026 and I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I am excited about our upcoming biennial conference in Reno, Nevada, in March, to be held at the Peppermill hotel and spa. AP-LS conferences are the best way to stay in touch with the latest psychology law research and practice updates and to maximize your time with colleagues and friends. The AP-LS has a great network of scientists, practitioners, policy analysts, attorneys, and others who share an interest in psychology law topics. It is always wonderful to share time with everyone in one single invigorating conference.
Our two co-chairs for the March AP-LS conference, Luna Filipovic Hawkins and Heath Hodges deserve credit and thanks for all their work. I know a large number of submissions were received before the winter break, that then had to be sorted, evaluated, accepted, and compiled into a conference program. All of which has now been completed and the program looks excellent. This year, there will be several pre-conference workshops, award winner addresses, cutting-edge symposia, paper presentations, the always well attended poster sessions, as well as keynote presentations.
There are two Presidential keynote speakers this year including Victoria Talwar, PhD, McGill University, and Jennifer Tackett, PhD, Northwestern University. Dr. Talwar is an expert in truth-telling, especially in children, and Dr. Tackett is an expert on the topic of the development of leadership skills in our younger populations. I feel fortunate that they have agreed to attend our conference and give our plenary addresses as they will bring fresh ideas and new perspectives and I hope you will have an opportunity to interact with them and see if there are any areas of connection for you and your research teams or practices. There will also be two additional plenary including one by Lorraine Hope, PhD, University of Portsmouth, and another by Dee Farmer. Dr. Hope is a leading expert on investigative interviewing and intelligence gathering and Dee Farmer will offer unique talk about discrimination and incarceration. There will be opportunities for CEs and importantly also plenty of times for everyone to interact socially during poster sessions and social hour events.
If you make it out of the conference hotel, Reno has impressive restaurants including unique bakeries, brunch spots, steak houses, and foods such as Basque, fusion, as well as many ethnic cuisines. There is also brewery and distillery scene for those interested tasting some local spirits while catching up with friends. Finally, for those wanting to extend their trips, there are opportunities to sight see and to ski at nearby Lake Tahoe. All of these elements will set the stage for a great AP-LS conference in Reno.
I would like to extend one more thank you to our conference co-chairs, our conference advisory committee, and to the Synergos team for their work on the conference.
Please remember to register for the conference and book your hotel rooms!
See you all soon,
All the best,
Randy Salekin, PhD
President, American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS).
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Student Awards at AP-LS Conference
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The AP-LS Student Committee will be awarding eleven (11) student presentation awards at the 2026 AP-LS Conference, totaling $1,925. More information on eligibility can be found on the student committee website (http://www.apls-students.org/conference-presentation-awards.html). The link to submit is: (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe80sfriAr71KEVvaj5CSVmR-UALYeB04ewjvv8M1NaBsjNIQ/viewform?usp=send_form) and all submissions are due on February 16th, 2026!
These awards include:
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Two (2) Outstanding Student Paper awards ($200 each);
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Two (2) Outstanding Student Abbreviated Paper ("Data Blitz") awards ($175 each);
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Two (2) Outstanding Student Poster awards ($150 each); and
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Five (5) specialty awards, which can be posters, abbreviated papers, or papers. These include:
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One (1) Outstanding Student Presentation in Diversity-Related Research award ($175), for research directly related to underrepresented or marginalized populations.
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One (1) Outstanding Student Presentation in Corrections Research award ($175), for research directly related to correctional settings.
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One (1) Outstanding Student Presentation in Legal Research award ($175), for research directly related to the law or legal practice.
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One (1) Outstanding Student Presentation in Novel-Topic Research award ($175), for research on a topic not traditionally studied in law and psychology.
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One (1) Outstanding Student Presentation Using Open Science Practices award ($175), for outstanding research conducted using open science guidelines and practices. - NEW!
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AP-LS Student Committee’s New Mentorship Program
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The AP-LS Student Committee is launching a new mentorship program! Sign up HERE!
We’re excited to launch a supportive, community-driven mentorship program designed to connect emerging scholars with experienced peers in the field. Participants can sign up either as mentors, open to anyone in their second year or beyond in a graduate program or as mentees, including undergraduates, prospective applicants, and first-year graduate students (or those about to begin). Because this program is new, we’ll be learning and shaping it together. We anticipate bi-annual virtual meetings for mentors and mentees, and we ask that mentors remain available throughout the year for occasional emails or smaller questions that may arise. The commitment is one year minimum, with the option to continue as long as you’d like. We’ll do our best to match participants thoughtfully, though there may be a brief waiting list as we get the program up and running. We appreciate your enthusiasm and patience and we can’t wait to build this community with you!
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The American Psychology-Law Society invites proposals for new titles in its book series, which is now published by Oxford University Press. We publish authored and edited volumes on current issues at the intersection of psychology and law. Books are typically a state of the science synthesis of a body of existing research with implications for practice and/or policy. Authors and editors should have a substantial and recent track record of publication and/or practice in psychology or law, and at least one should hold a doctorate in psychology or closely related behavioral science. If you have a proposal for a new book in the series or you would simply like more information, please reach out to a member of the editorial team. We would be happy to discuss possible topics and fit for the series.
The editorial board members are:
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Request for proposals for Chapters and Essays
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Monica K. Miller, David DeMatteo, and Daniel Krauss are editors of the book series
“Advances in Psychology and Law,” which seeks to enhance understanding of the connections between these disciplines, present “state of the science” summaries for current researchers, and provide a starting point for scholars wanting to delve into a new topic of study by reading an up-to-date review chapter or brief essay on that topic. All areas of psychology (e.g., developmental, social, cognitive, clinical, neuroscience) and law (e.g., criminal, civil, contracts, property, family) are appropriate for inclusion.
Chapters and essays will be primarily reviews or meta-analyses. Although they might provide some data to illustrate a new phenomenon, they are not meant to be data-driven like a journal article. Review chapters and essays will be on particular topics relevant to psychology and law and will be of current interest to the field. Chapters (and especially essays) will typically summarize research on one particular topic, rather than focusing on the entire body of research in an area (e.g., focusing on the Weapon Focus effect rather than the entire body of eyewitness memory). Chapters will be relatively long (30-40 pages d.s.), which will allow authors to provide in depth analysis and take calculated risks (e.g., engaging in informed speculation about future research or the consequences of particular legal policies). Essays will be shorter (approximately 10 pages d.s.) because they discuss a topic that is new and/or has less previous research to synthesize.
The book series has an editorial board of distinguished scholars who are experts in various areas in psychology and law. The editorial board will offer guidance about the development of topics and serve as expert reviewers of chapters and essays. The editors strive to produce one volume in the series approximately every 12-18 months.
Overviews of the previous volumes can be viewed here to ensure topics have not been already included in the series and to see examples of chapters: http://www.springer.com/series/11918?detailsPage=titles
Submit an approximately 300 word description and title of your proposed topic and indicate if you want to write an essay or chapter. Specify both the legal component and the psychological component of your topic. Email submissions to Monica Miller at (mkmiller@unr.edu).
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For more information or if you wish to contact a member of the AP-LS Executive Committee, details can be found HERE.
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On The Job or Postdoc Market? AP-LS Job Postings
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Newsletter Editorial Board
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AP-LS seeks to advance the science of psychology - law and the translation of psychology - law knowledge into practice. Our mission is to enhance the well-being, justice, and human rights though science and practice of psychology in legal contexts.
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