Dr. Bianca E. Bersani joined the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice as an associate professor in the fall of 2019. She earned her PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland, MA in Sociology and BA in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln

As a life course criminologist, her research interests involve the study of patterns and predictors of offending from adolescence through adulthood. Key themes include the investigation of desistance and persistence in offending, the factors that facilitate and hinder desistance from criminal offending, divergence in offending across race/ethnicity, gender, and immigration status, and the application of innovative methodologies to understanding the mechanisms of behavioral change. 

Dr. Bersani is the Director of the Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC). The Center offers academic expertise, conducts research, integrates data, builds partnerships between government, academia, and industry, and develops and evaluates innovative criminal justice strategies aimed at preventing and reducing crime. 

She directed the CCJS Honors Program from 2019-2024, a unique 2-year opportunity for undergraduate CCJS majors to challenge themselves academically, interact with departmental faculty, and gain hands-on research experience. Dr. Bersani was awarded the Winston Family Faculty Honors Award in 2023. This award is the highest teaching honor that the Honors College at UMD bestows, established by alumni Roger and Karen Winston, to recognize outstanding faculty advising, mentorship, and supervision of Honors students at the university.