Chief Scientist, Converus Science Team
Dr. Kircher is a widely recognised expert in government and industry on the subject of deception detection. He has published more than 90 scientific publications and technical reports in the field of psychophysiological detection of deception and has served as a consultant on deception detection to the US Department of Defense, US Secret Service, US Department of Homeland Security, National Science Foundation, National Research Council, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and numerous state and local police departments. He and his colleague Dr. Raskin, also a member of the Converus Science Team, laid the scientific foundation for, and in 1991 developed the software and hardware for the first computerized field polygraph system, which is still in use today. Dr. Kircher earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Utah.
Member, Converus Science Team
While a graduate student at Stanford University, Dr. Woltz worked primarily with Dr. Richard Snow on the Aptitude Research Project funded by the Office of Naval Research. Following his graduate work and prior to coming to the University of Utah, Dan worked for five years conducting basic research on cognitive abilities and learning processes at the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory. He has received external funding for his research from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and Draper Laboratories, and his work has been published in publications such as Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition, Journal of Memory and Language, and Memory & Cognition. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in educational psychology from Stanford University.
Member, Converus Science Team
Dr. Hacker currently researches writing and reading comprehension processes, metacomprehension, detection of deception, metacognition, self-regulated learning, and school/program evaluation. His current research interests are focused on the investigation of the psychology of writing, and he has developed a new methodology for the study of writing that uses eye-tracking technology. This methodology permits an online analysis of writing. At the present time, Dr. Hacker is actively engaged in the investigation of deception detection by using oculomotor measures while reading. Dr. Hacker earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Washington.
Member, Converus Science Team
Dr. Cook conducts studies in the psychology of reading, using eye-tracking technology to investigate the memory and attention processes involved in reading comprehension. Although much of her research has investigated these processes in typically developed adult readers, she has also conducted studies on cognitive impairments in individuals with autism. More recently, she has applied her background in eye tracking and psychology of reading to research on cognitive load during complex problem solving and to the detection of deception. Anne holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Science in college teaching from University of New Hampshire, a Master of Arts in cognitive psychology from University of New Hampshire, and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Louisiana State University.
Member, Converus Science Team
Dr. Raskin has served on the faculties of UCLA, Michigan State, and the University of Utah. He has authored more than 150 scientific articles, chapters, books, and reports, including Scientific Methods in Criminal Investigation and Evidence and Credibility Assessment: Scientific Research and Applications published in 2014. He has received research grants and contracts on the subject of deception detection from the National Institute of Justice, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency, US Secret Service, and National Institute of Mental Health. He frequently consults and does training for many US federal agencies and foreign governments. The laboratories of Professor Raskin and his colleague, Dr. John Kircher at the University of Utah, are recognized worldwide as leaders in research and development of polygraph methods and computer techniques for the conduct and analysis of polygraph examinations. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA.