Nusret Sahin, PhD, has been named Executive Director of the Rutgers University-Newark School of Criminal Justice’s new Executive Master’s Program, announced today by Dean Nancy La Vigne, PhD.

“Dr. Sahin is no stranger to SCJ – he’s a proud PhD alum and has continued to engage and work with the school over the years, including as a part-time lecturer. Importantly, he has the practitioner, instructional, training, and research experience to excel in this new and vitally important position,” says La Vigne.

As Director and Associate Professor of Practice, Sahin will oversee the development and launch of the program slated for January 2026. “I’m excited about the opportunity to collaborate with world-class faculty and to develop a program for professionals that will equip them with the skills needed to become agents of positive social change,” he says.

“The Rutgers School of Criminal Justice has always held a unique position, and its alumni have made lasting contributions to the field. I’m grateful for the support I have received throughout my career from the institution’s leadership, faculty, and staff.”

Dr. Sahin earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers School of Criminal Justice and his master’s degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Before entering academia, Dr. Sahin served for 13 years as a ranking police officer with the Turkish National Police. During his doctoral studies, he worked in the Excellence in Policing Project, a collaborative initiative between the Police Institute of Rutgers, the New Jersey State Police, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, focused on proactively applying risk management strategies in law enforcement.

His research focuses on procedural justice, use of body-worn cameras, use of geospatial technologies for public safety, police training, and perceptions of law enforcement. He has conducted impactful research for over a decade, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the effects of emerging public safety tools and strategies on accountability, community safety, and police legitimacy. His work has been published in high-impact journals such as Justice Quarterly, Journal of Experimental Criminology, and Journal of Quantitative Criminology.

Dr. Sahin’s notable scholarly contributions to the field include designing and leading the Department of Justice funded Enhancing Procedural-Justness of Encounters Through Substantiation (EPJETS) program, developing and delivering the Southern New Jersey Procedural Justice (SNJPJ) training program, analyzing and identifying mental health related calls for service locations in Atlantic City, and co-authoring a study of Chicago Police Department complaint data, which found that body-worn cameras reduced the number of dismissed complaints and racial disparities in disciplinary outcomes.

Dr. Sahin was an associate professor of criminal Justice at Stockton University before joining Rutgers University. He currently serves as a research fellow at the Rutgers Center on Public Security, an editorial board member of the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, and a board member of the Coalition for a Safe Community, a cross-sector partnership dedicated to reducing violence and building safer, healthier neighborhoods in South Jersey.