James Densley & Jillian Peterson

Dr. James Densley is Professor of Criminal Justice and Department Chair of the School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice at Metro State University, part of the Minnesota State system. He is co-founder and co-president of The Violence Project Research Center, best known for its database of mass shooters. Densley has received global media attention for his work on street gangs, criminal networks, violence, and policing. He is the author or coauthor of seven books, including, "The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic," winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award; 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading social science journals; and over 100 book chapters, essays, and other other works in outlets such as CNN, The Guardian, The LA Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Dr. Jillian Peterson is a forensic psychologist, associate professor of criminology and criminal Justice at Hamline University, and co-president of The Violence Project. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Peterson's areas of interest and expertise are forensic psychology, mental illness in the criminal justice system, cyber violence, school violence and mass shootings. She recently directed a large-scale research project funded by the National Institute of Justice examining the life histories of over 170 mass shooters.