Daniel S. Nagin is a distinguished scholar and leader in the field of criminology and statistics currently serving as the Lester Hamburg University Professor of Public Policy and Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. He has held the position of Associate Dean of Faculty since 2006 demonstrating sustained leadership within one of the nation's premier public policy institutions. Dr. Nagin received his PhD in 1976 from what is now the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy establishing the foundation for his decades-long career at the intersection of social science and quantitative methodology. His early career included significant public service as Deputy Secretary for Fiscal Policy and Analysis in the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue from 1981 to 1986 providing practical experience that would inform his later research on policy effectiveness.
Professor Nagin's groundbreaking research has fundamentally shaped our understanding of criminal behavior trajectories deterrence theory and life-course criminology with his influential book Group-based Modeling of Development published by Harvard University Press in 2005 establishing a new methodological framework for analyzing longitudinal data. His work examining the deterrent effect of criminal penalties has been instrumental in informing evidence-based policy debates particularly through his leadership of the National Research Council's Committee on Deterrence and the Death Penalty. With publications spanning top journals across multiple disciplines including the American Economic Review American Sociological Review and Journal of the American Statistical Association his interdisciplinary approach has created bridges between criminology statistics psychology and public policy. The profound impact of his scholarship is evidenced by his receipt of the prestigious Stockholm Prize in Criminology in 2014 and the American Society of Criminology's Edwin H Sutherland Award in 2006 recognizing his seminal contributions to the field.
Beyond his research Professor Nagin has been a transformative leader in the academic community serving as co-editor of Criminology and Public Policy and as President of the American Society of Criminology in 2021 where he championed rigorous methodological standards and evidence-based policy approaches. His influence extends internationally through his appointment as a Max Planck Law Fellow in 2021 fostering transatlantic collaborations in crime and security research. As a dedicated educator he has mentored generations of scholars and policymakers through his teaching of courses such as Statistics for IT Managers ensuring the next generation is equipped with robust analytical skills. Professor Nagin continues to advance the frontiers of criminological research while maintaining his commitment to translating complex statistical findings into actionable policy insights that address contemporary challenges in crime prevention and justice reform.
