Dr. Adrian Raine is a pioneering neuroscientist who has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the biological underpinnings of criminal behavior. He currently holds the prestigious Richard Perry University Professorship with appointments in Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology across the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his bachelor's degree in experimental psychology from Oxford University in 1977, he completed his D.Phil. in psychology at the University of York in 1982. His early career included four years working as a prison psychologist in high-security English prisons, followed by academic appointments at Nottingham University where he became director of the Mauritius Child Health Project in 1986 and was promoted to tenured associate professor in 1990. He later held the Robert G. Wright Professorship of Psychology at the University of Southern California before joining the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 2007 as a Penn Integrates Knowledge professor.
Dr. Raine is widely recognized as one of the founders of the emerging field of neurocriminology, having pioneered the application of neuroscience techniques to understand criminal behavior. His groundbreaking research, which includes being the first scientist to use neuroimaging to study the brains of murderers, has revealed crucial neural correlates of violence and psychopathy that challenge traditional criminological paradigms. His influential 2013 book The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime synthesized decades of research on the biological origins of violent behavior and was translated into six languages, receiving the Athenaeum Literary Award for its significant contribution to the field. His extensive publication record encompasses over 500 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books that have been cited thousands of times, demonstrating the profound impact of his work on both scientific and policy communities. Through his biosocial perspective, Dr. Raine has effectively integrated neurobiological approaches with social and environmental factors to create a more comprehensive understanding of antisocial behavior across the lifespan.
As president of the Academy of Experimental Criminology and founding chair of the Division of Biopsychosocial Criminology at the American Society of Criminology, Dr. Raine has played a pivotal role in establishing neurocriminology as a legitimate and vital subfield within criminological science. His ongoing Mauritius Child Health Project, which has followed over 1,795 individuals from age three into adulthood, represents one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies of child development and mental health in the world. Dr. Raine has mentored numerous students and early-career researchers, engaging many undergraduates in his Philadelphia-based research on how early childhood nutrition, exercise, and cognitive stimulation can prevent future criminal behavior. His work continues to influence criminal justice policy worldwide by advocating for prevention-focused approaches rather than punitive measures, with his most recent research demonstrating that targeted early interventions represent the most effective and affordable strategy for reducing future crime. Dr. Raine's vision of treating violent crime as a potentially preventable and treatable condition continues to shape the future direction of criminology, neuroscience, and criminal justice reform efforts globally.
