Law & Science (LS)

The Law & Science Program considers proposals that address social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules, as well as studies of how science and technology are applied in legal contexts. The Program is inherently interdisciplinary and multi-methodological. Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between human behavior and law, legal institutions, or legal processes; or the interactions of law and basic sciences, including biology, computer and information sciences, STEM education, engineering, geosciences, and math and physical sciences. • Crime, Violence, and Policing • Cyberspace • Economic Issues • Environmental Science • Evidentiary Issues • Forensic Science • Governance and Courts • Human Rights and Comparative Law • Information Technology • Legal and Ethical Issues related to Science • Legal Decision Making • Legal Mobilization and Conceptions of Justice • Litigation and the Legal Profession • Punishment and Corrections • Regulation and Facilitation of Biotechnology (e.g., Gene Editing, Gene Testing, Synthetic Biology) and Other Emerging Sciences and Technologies • Use of Science in the Legal Processes