DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Alan Tomkins is the Director Emeritus of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. He was named director when the PPC was created in July, 1998. Dr. Tomkins is also a Professor in the UNL Law/Psychology Program.

Dr. Tomkins received a B. A. degree from Boston University (1975) with a joint major in Psychology and Philosophy. He earned a J. D. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1984. He joined the faculty of the Law/Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1986. Prior to coming to UNL, Dr. Tomkins was a Research Associate at the Federal Judicial Center, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Research Assistant Professor at St. Louis University. He also has served as a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Southampton (England) and as a Visiting Scholar of Psychology at Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea).

His policy research interests include mental health policy, community health and human services, the use of information for decision making, and stakeholder input into the policy process. Dr. Tomkins has over 80 publications, ranging from policy reports to peer-reviewed journal articles, law review articles, book chapters, edited works, newsletter columns, etc. He is currently editing a book entitled, "The Faith Based Initiative and Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities for Effectively Integrating Faith-Based and Community-Based Resources in the Behavioral Health System." Dr. Tomkins served as co-Editor and then Editor of the interdisciplinary journal, Behavioral Sciences & the Law from 1989-2001, served on the editorial board for Law & Human Behavior since 1991 and on Expert Evidence: The International Digest of Human Behaviour Science and Law from 1998-2001, and he has twice has served as Action Editor for the American Psychologist. He is a Fellow of the American-Psychology Law Society, Division 41 of the American Psychological Association.