I am an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Carleton College and a researcher with the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence. I received my PhD from Carnegie Mellon University in 2019. Prior to Carleton, I taught at Swarthmore College for five years.
I primarily work on statistical methods for understanding complex decision-making, often using Bayesian tools. Right now, my work focuses on adapting and advocating for Item Response Theory-flavored models for forensic science, particularly in fingerprint analysis.
I’m also interested in statistics pedagogy, particularly in trying to better understand (and fix!) misconceptions among introductory students, and better integrating computing, applications, and theory in upper-level courses.
I’m always seeking new collaborations in the social and criminal justice space. Please get in touch if you’d like to work together on a quantitative project in this realm!
I use she/her pronouns, and my last name is pronounced “loo-bee”.
Upcoming:
- Fall 2024: I’m now at Carleton College!
Recent (ish):
March 2024: Methodological Problems in Every Black-Box Study of Forensic Firearm Comparisons is available on arXiv. (Joint work with Maria Cuellar, Susan Vanderplas, Michael Rosenblum)
February 2024: Presented “An Empirical Approach to Inconclusives in Forensic Black Box Studies” at the North Sea Group Seminar on Legal Evidence and Proof. (Joint work with Jay Kadane)
June 2023: I was awarded the Stephen E Fienberg Young Investigator award for Best Project at the International Conference for Forensic Inference and Statistics in Lund, Sweden. I presented joint work with Erwin Mattijssen (NFI) on applying IRT to firearms analysis.