Jason Chin | ANU College of Law

Jason Chin

Senior Lecturer

Biography
Research
Supervision
Teaching
Public policy

I study the many ways in which research informs the legal system, and particularly how that relationship can be improved. This includes making sure law relies on the most transparent and reliable psychology, forensic science, criminology, and empirical legal research. In law, this often applies to expert evidence and law reform.

I’m also interested in broader questions, like what metaresearch tells us about how to build knowledge in a credible and efficient way.

Along with my work at ANU, I am the the former (2020-21) President of the Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-research and Open Science (AIMOS), and the inaugural registered reports editor for Forensic Science International: Synergy.

I have a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of British Columbia where I was a Killam Scholar and a JD from the University of Toronto. I also graduated cum laude from the University of Virginia with a BA in Psychology and Economics.

Prior to returning to academia, I practiced litigation at a large international law firm and was called to the bar in both New York and Ontario. Whenever feasible, I try to offer pragmatic solutions and guidance to the challenges faced by practicing lawyers. My research has been featured in the New York Times and Sydney Morning Herald.

When I conduct empirical research, I attempt to do so with open and reproducible scientific methods.

Appointments

Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-research and Open Science (AIMOS)
University of Sydney
University of Vienna
Center for Open Science
University of Queensland
University of Toronto

Significant research publications

Jason M Chin, “Law and psychology must think critically about effect sizes” (2023) 3 Discover Psychology 3.
Jason M Chin, Bethany Growns, Joel Sebastian, Matthew J Page & Shinichi Nakagawa, “The transparency and reproducibility of systematic reviews in forensic science” (2022) 340 Forensic Science International.
Jason M Chin, Gary Edmond & Andrew Roberts, “Simply Unconvincing: The High Court on Probative Value and Reliability in the Uniform Evidence Law” (2022) 50(1) Federal Law Review 104.
Jason M Chin, Malgorzata Lagisz & Shinichi Nakagawa, “Where is the evidence in evidence-based law reform?” (2022) 45(3) UNSW Law Journal 1124.
Jason M Chin, Justin T Pickett, Simine Vazire & Alex O Holcombe, “Questionable Research Practices and Open Science in Quantitative Criminology” (2021) Journal of Quantitative Criminology.
See CV or Google Scholar page for others.

Research biography

I study evidence law, as well as research practices in forensic science, law, criminology, and psychology and law.

Research projects & collaborations

I am engaged in and lead many research projects, including doctrinal research, case studies, metaresearch on research practices, and initiatives to change research cultures.

Grants

Australian Research Council. Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime, $525,427 AUD, 2022-2025. Co-CI with Lauren Monds, Melanie Takarangi, Mark Montebello, Monica Semra, and Heather Flowe
Private funder. Grant to fund meta-research and open science, $200,000 AUD, 2021. Lead CI with Alex Holcombe.
Victoria Police. EBFI Collaborative Journal Club and Research Synthesis, $19,252.33 AUD, 2021. Co-CI with Kristy Martire and Gary Edmond.
Charles Perkins Centre. Funding for a conference on meta-research and open science (AIMOS), $5,000 AUD, 2020. Lead CI with Alex Holcombe and Shinichi Nakagawa
Academy of The Social Sciences in Australia. Funding for workshop titled Crime in the Intimate Sphere: Issues in Evidence, $9,000 AUD, 2019-2020. Co-CI with Heather Douglas and Caitlin Goss

Refereed journal articles

Jason M Chin, “Law and psychology must think critically about effect sizes” (2023) 3 Discover Psychology 3.
Jason M Chin, Bethany Growns, Joel Sebastian, Matthew J Page & Shinichi Nakagawa, “The transparency and reproducibility of systematic reviews in forensic science” (2022) 340 Forensic Science International.
Jason M Chin, Gary Edmond & Andrew Roberts, “Simply Unconvincing: The High Court on Probative Value and Reliability in the Uniform Evidence Law” (2022) 50(1) Federal Law Review 104.
Jason M Chin, Malgorzata Lagisz & Shinichi Nakagawa, “Where is the evidence in evidence-based law reform?” (2022) 45(3) UNSW Law Journal 1124.
Jason M Chin, Justin T Pickett, Simine Vazire & Alex O Holcombe, “Questionable Research Practices and Open Science in Quantitative Criminology” (2021) Journal of Quantitative Criminology.
See CV or Google Scholar page for others.

Book chapters

Jason Chin & Larysa Workewych, “The CSI Effect” in Markus Dubber, ed, Oxford Handbooks Online (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016) https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935352.013.28.

Conference papers & presentations

Invited talk: Jason M Chin, “Forensic Science needs registered reports” (2022) Invited speaker series at the Université de Lausanne department of forensic science, online https://osf.io/3csu8/.
Invited talk: Jason M Chin, “Truth decay in courts” (2022) Invited speaker at the launch of the Truth Decay Node at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia https://osf.io/xsw4b/.
Invited talk: Jason M Chin, “Questionable and open research practices in law” (2022) Invited speaker for the NSW Statewide Biobank Speaker Series, NSW Health, Sydney, Australia https://osf.io/vp3fb/.
Invited discussant: Jason M Chin, “Commentary on The Environmental Consequences of Pay Inequality” (2022) Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, online.
Referred conference presentation: Jason M Chin, Kathryn Zeiler, Natali Dilevski, Alex O. Holcombe, Rosemary Gatfield-Jeffries, Ruby Bishop, Simine Vazire & Sarah R. Schiavone, “The Transparency of Quantitative Empirical Legal Research (2018–2020)” (2022) Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, online https://osf.io/phuyt/.

Government submissions

Jason M Chin, “RE: Judicial Impartiality Consultation Paper” (2021) Submission to Australian Law Reform Commission https://osf.io/4mxgw/.
Jason M Chin, “RE: Open Justice Consultation Paper” (2021) Submission to New South Wales Law Reform Commission https://osf.io/e2kgc/.

Committees

EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS

Steering committee for Metaresearch Open Review (MetaROR), an open platform for scholarly publishing

INTERNAL ANU COMMITTEES

Chair, ANU Press law editorial board

Case notes & book reviews

Jason M Chin & Vanja Ginic, “Book Review, Unlocking Memories: Cognitive Interviewing for Lawyers” (2016) 54:1 Osgoode Hall Law Journal 311. https://doi.org/10.31228/osf.io/6vnhd