Daniel Semenza Ph.D.

Dr. Daniel Semenza is the Director of Interpersonal Violence Research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center (GVRC) and an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice and the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at Rutgers University. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology at Emory University in 2018 under the direction of Dr. Robert Agnew. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on gun violence, the health-related consequences of criminal justice contact and violence exposure, and the implications of these issues for racial and economic disparities in health. His research has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Newsweek, Prevention Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR, PBS, The Trace, FOX, CBS Face the Nation, and NBC News. Dr. Semenza currently serves on the editorial boards of Criminology, Homicide Studies, and the Journal of Criminal Justice. He teaches courses on urban gun violence prevention, theories of crime and delinquency, violence in society, and juvenile delinquency.

Broadly speaking, Dr. Semenza’s research examines (1) the causes and consequences of community gun violence and (2) the connections between health, criminal justice exposure, and violent victimization. The study of health disparities is a central focus across both areas of research. His work has been published in a wide range of journals that span disciplines including pubic health, criminology, sociology, and public policy.

• Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at SUNY – Faculty Researcher