Samuel H. Solomon
Memorial Scholarship

The Samuel H. Solomon Memorial Scholarship for Psychology and Law was created by DOAR, Inc., to celebrate the career and legacy of its founder, Samuel (“Sam”) H. Solomon. Sam was a leading pioneer in establishing the use of technology in the country’s state and federal courts and was one of the first and most successful trial strategy consultants. Sam was particularly focused on the psychology of juror decision-making and how to develop presentation strategies based on how mock jurors reacted to the facts and arguments of his clients’ cases. His research methodology is the foundation of DOAR’s success and has greatly influenced the field of jury research more broadly. Sam retired in 2010 and moved to Israel with his wife, Meryl, to be near their children and grandchildren.  There, Sam was deeply involved in politics, religion, and investing in Israeli technology startups until his untimely death in 2022.

In tribute to Sam’s legacy, the scholarship provides financial support to outstanding graduate and doctoral students focused on psychology and law in their studies, research, and/or career aspirations.

For more information about the scholarship, including eligibility requirements, visit the John Jay College of Criminal Justice website under Scholarships.

2024 Recipients

Congratulations to the 2024 Samuel H. Solomon Memorial Scholarship recipients.

Tirza Ben Ari

Doctoral Student, Psychology & Law

Tirza Ben Ari is a doctoral student at The Graduate Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her passion for improving the justice system and work as a case analyst/trial preparation assistant at the Queens District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) during her post-MA OPT has led her to her Ph.D. program, researching topics such as false confessions and police interrogation techniques, plea bargains, and psychology-related misconceptions within the justice system.

Tirza aims to contribute meaningfully to promoting conviction integrity as a scholar and an advocate for justice reform.


Agnieszka Nogalska

Forensics Psychology Master’s Student

Agnieszka Nogalska is a Forensic Psychology Master’s student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her research aims to examine risk assessment through the lens of intervention and rehabilitation. At John Jay, she completed a non-clinical externship at the Brain Health Lab, worked as a teaching assistant, and volunteered for the Restorative Justice Project. Agnieszka successfully defended her thesis in December of 2023, which examined the psychometric properties of a widely used risk assessment measure for recidivism.

Agnieszka is pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a career as a forensic psychologist.

2023 Recipients

Congratulations to the 2023 Samuel H. Solomon Memorial Scholarship recipients.

Sydney Baker

Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Psychology

Sydney Baker is a fifth-year Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her research aims to understand how juvenile justice system procedures, such as interrogation and plea bargaining, can be improved to accurately reflect adolescent development. Sydney works in the Youth Law & Psychology Lab at John Jay, where she conducts translational research that has direct implications for public policy reform.


Phoebe Kane

Forensics Psychology Master’s Student

Phoebe is a Forensic Psychology Master’s student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and will receive their degree in Spring 2023. Phoebe’s thesis project is an archival exploration of arrays used in previous eyewitness research studies to evaluate lineup bias in laboratory experiments. As a Graduate Research Assistant, Phoebe’s main studies of focus explore plea bargaining and confessions and lineup fairness within eyewitness identification research.

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