Research, education, and communication for high-stakes decision-making.

My work focuses on how people evaluate evidence, build trust, and make decisions when the stakes are high. I study courts, technology, scientific literacy, and human judgment, with a particular focus on how professionals can use evidence and responsible AI without losing sight of the people affected by their decisions.

The goal is practical: turn research into clearer questions, better tools, and more thoughtful decision-making.

CORE AREAS OF WORK

Research that supports better judgment.

My work connects empirical research, judicial education, and science communication to help professionals evaluate evidence and technology with greater care.

Judges, AI, and Court Technology

I study how judges and legal professionals understand artificial intelligence, where they see promise, and where they need clearer guidance, training, and safeguards.

Evidence, Trust, and Decision-Making

I examine how people evaluate complex information, form trust, and make decisions in high-stakes legal and institutional settings.

Science Communication and Education

I translate research into practical language, learning tools, and educational experiences for judges, students, legal professionals, and public audiences.

PUBLICATIONS & REPORTS

For publications, reports, and public-facing writing.

My academic publications, applied reports, white papers, and media/policy citations are collected on the Writing page.

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APPLIED JUDICIAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

Turning research into practical guidance for courts and legal professionals.

Much of my work involves translating empirical research, legal complexity, and practitioner experience into resources that support judges, court leaders, educators, and justice system stakeholders.

FMCSA, CDL Cases, and Judicial Decision-Making

I lead applied research and education work on CDL adjudication and judicial decision-making. This work focuses on helping judges understand complex federal requirements, courtroom realities, and the consequences of decisions that may affect highway safety and public trust.

Judicial Education Needs Assessment

I contributed to needs assessment research examining judges’ educational interests, preferred learning formats, barriers to participation, and emerging training needs. This work helps align judicial education with what judges actually need, how they learn, and what constraints shape their access to training.

AI Education and Responsible Technology Training

I develop research-informed ideas and training materials to help NJC staff, faculty, and judicial audiences understand responsible AI use. This work focuses on verification, ethics, confidentiality, appropriate reliance, and keeping people, not algorithms, at the center of the decision.

Alternative Sentencing, Diversion, and Access to Justice

I have contributed to court-facing research and writing on diversion, alternative sentencing, fines and fees, human trafficking, and survivor-centered courtroom practices. Across these projects, the goal is to make complex evidence usable for judges and legal professionals working in demanding real-world settings.

AI in Mental Healthcare

Co-designed a mixed-methods study of 293 college students examining trust, privacy, stigma, perceived effectiveness, risk, and willingness to use AI-powered mental-health support compared with traditional care. Students trusted traditional care more, while viewing AI-based support as more private; concerns centered on effectiveness, data security, bias, and loss of human empathy.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH OPERATIONS

Coordinating complex grant-funded research from protocol to implementation.

Before my current work on AI, courts, and judicial education, I built a foundation in research operations by coordinating complex legal psychology research. This work required managing protocols, timelines, participant scheduling, research assistants, data collection, troubleshooting, and quality control across a large experimental study.

Jury Decision-Making Study Coordination.

At Arizona State University’s Social Psychology and Law Lab, I helped coordinate day-to-day operations for a $323,889 NSF-funded jury deliberation study examining emotion, evidence, and legal decision-making. My work included participant scheduling, informed consent, protocol implementation, research assistant training, physiological data collection, troubleshooting, and quality control.

TEACHING, MENTORSHIP & RESEARCH TRAINING

Helping students and emerging professionals think with evidence.

As a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, I support graduate students in psychology and law as they work through complex research, legal psychology concepts, forensic psychology, and applied evidence.

My broader teaching and mentorship experience includes research methods, statistics, writing support, and research training for students, judicial students, and research assistants.

FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE

Helping professionals make better decisions with evidence and care.

My work moves from research question to real-world output: designing studies, coordinating stakeholders, managing timelines, analyzing evidence, and translating findings into practical tools, training, reports, and public-facing guidance. Across courts, academia, and judicial education, the throughline is human judgment: helping people ask better questions, evaluate uncertainty, and stay meaningfully responsible for decisions that affect others.

Anna Fine, Ph.D.
Researcher · Science Communicator · AI and Courts Advisor
Evidence, judgment, and responsible technology.

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