About

Dr. Jill Portnoy is an assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  She received her Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015.  Her research examines biological risk factors for antisocial behavior, aggression, and psychopathy.   Her primary focus is on psychophysiological and hormonal risk factors for antisocial behavior, as well as interactions between these biological factors and the social environment.   

This research contributes to the broader field of developmental criminology, as well as into the etiology of crime. While most criminological research is either social or biological, her work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the development of delinquency that takes into account factors across multiple levels of measurement. Her research has been published in high-ranking journals, such as Criminology.  Jill Portnoy is also the only criminologist to apply perspectives from biosocial criminology to the study of extremist propaganda and terrorist radicalization. 

Current Projects Include:

1. Psychophysiology of Chronic Stress and Aggression
2.  Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Reduce Aggression
3. Biosocial Risk Factors for Susceptibility to Extremist Propaganda (Co-PI, Funded by the Minerva Research Initiative)
4. Nutrition in Juvenile Delinquency