February 13, 2009
Dean Hiram Chodosh announced today that Teneille R. Brown, a fellow at Stanford Law School, the MacArthur Foundation Law & Neuroscience Project, and the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics will join the faculty at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law as an associate professor in July 2009.
“We are excited to have such a capable young scholar and exciting classroom teacher join the faculty at the College of Law. Teneille’s broad interests, proven excellence as a researcher, and ability to excite and motivate students will make her a valuable addition to our faculty,” Chodosh said.
Brown has a roster of esteemed fellowships to her credit. As a Center for Law and Biosciences fellow at Stanford Law School, she conducts research on the implications of courtroom uses of neuroscience and genetics. Her interests include judicial assessment of biological and non-biological explanations of illegal behavior; the admissibility of novel scientific data according to state and federal rules of evidence; and the impact of behavioral economics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience on jury decisionmaking.
Brown is also research fellow for the MacArthur Foundation Law & Neuroscience Project, where she studies bias in jury decisionmaking and the use of brain imaging to detect lies and sentence defendants. According to Owen Jones, Professor of Law and Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, “The skills she contributed to the Project earned her widespread admiration among lawyers and scientists alike — as well as appreciation for her keen intelligence, commitment, and original thinking. I congratulate [the College of Law] on an exceptionally strong hire. Professor Brown brings an additional wealth of talent, knowledge, good judgment, and good humor to an already strong faculty.”
Her post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Integration of Research on Genetics and Ethics in the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics has strengthened her teaching abilities. Brown co-taught “Foundations in Bioethics” for which she developed course materials and headed several discussion sessions for students. David Magnus, Director of the Center and co-instructor for this course, adds “Students told me all quarter that she was outstanding to talk to, and that they greatly appreciated the discussion sessions she led. The class she led demonstrated why she is an outstanding teacher. Utah is very fortunate to have hired Teneille. She is an extraordinarily bright, engaging, and dedicated scholar she will be sorely missed by her colleagues.”
Brown graduated magna cum laude from University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. focusing on the History and Sociology of Science, and a concentration in Bioethics and the Biological Basis of Behavior. She received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School where she was honored with the Book Award as the top student in Law, Medicine and Society, and was an articles editor for the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law.
Brown is excited to join the faculty at the S.J. Quinney College of Law. “I grew up in Salt Lake among a family of teachers, and I am delighted to return home to begin teaching at the Quinney College of Law. As my research centers on law and the biosciences, I cannot think of a more dynamic community in which to work than the University of Utah. I am excited to dive in and contribute to the thriving intellectual scene at the law school that Dean Chodosh has continued to foster.”