Dr. Chris Melde Named School of Criminal Justice Director

May 15, 2022

Dr. Chris Melde has been named the 10th Director of the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University.

As the tenth Director, Dr. Melde says he is "excited to have the ability to help positively shape the educational environment of one of leading Criminal Justice programs in the world" and to "continue the legacy of leadership in researching crime and criminal justice."

Dr. Melde joined the School of Criminal Justice in 2007 and has served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Director of the School in the past. He is also an affiliated faculty member in Global Urban Studies and the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University, and a research associate at the Michigan Justice Statistics Center.

Dr. Melde's research interests include street gangs, youth violence, crime prevention, individual and community reactions to crime and victimization risk, and program evaluation. Dr. Melde was awarded the 2015 Tory J. Caeti Memorial Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Juvenile Justice section, given in recognition of the contribution of emerging scholars to the field of juvenile justice, for his work on gangs and youth violence prevention.