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 Assistant Professor, Department of History
Baker Hall 240
412.268.2887
Home Page
aronson@andrew.cmu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
My publications can be found on  .
Jay Aronson’s research and teaching focus on the
interactions of science, technology, law, and human rights
in criminal justice and post-conflict resolution contexts.
His first book, entitled
Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy
in the Making of DNA Profiling
(Rutgers University Press, 2007), examines the
development
of forensic DNA analysis in the American legal
system. He is also completing a series of articles that
investigates the impact of recent scientific advances on
notions of culpability, finality, and justice in criminal
jurisprudence.
His current research project analyzes the increasing importance
of science and technology (especially statistics and DNA profiling)
in human rights investigations world-wide. He has already conducted
research for this project in South Africa, and plans to make several
visits to the former Yugoslavia over the next few years. His central
claim is that while scientists and human rights officials claim that
their work is neutral and objective, these scientific investigations
are by their very nature intensely political. While this situation is
in many ways unavoidable, action can be taken to ensure that political
considerations are taken into account in the evaluation of scientific
evidence, and that scientists and human rights officials produce and
disseminate scientific and technical evidence in a way that maximizes
its positive political impact on the lives human rights abuse victims
and their families.
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