Elizabeth Loftus

ELIZABETH LOFTUS is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. She holds positions in the Departments of Psychology & Social Behavior, and Criminology, Law & Society.   She also has appointments in the Department of Cognitive Sciences and is a Fellow of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.

Loftus's research of the last 20 years has focused on human memory, eyewitness testimony and also on courtroom procedure. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. She has been honored for her work by receiving five honorary doctorates, as well as election to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The National Academy of Sciences, and The American Philosophical Society. She has served as President of four professional organizations: The Western Psychological Association, The American Psychology-Law Society, The Experimental Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, and finally, The Association for Psychological Science. The APA and APS bestowed upon her several significant research awards.

Loftus has been an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of cases, including the McMartin PreSchool Molestation case, the Hillside Strangler, the Abscam cases, the trial of Oliver North, the trial of the officers accused in the Rodney King beating, the Menendez brothers, the Michael Jackson case, the Bosnian War trials in the Hague, the Oklahoma Bombing case, and the Martha Stewart case.  Loftus also she has worked on numerous cases involving allegations of "repressed memories", such as those involving George Franklin of San Mateo, California, Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago, and Gary Ramona of Napa, California.

Loftus has published 20 books and over 400 scientific articles. Her 4th book, Eyewitness Testimony, won a National Media Award (Distinguished Contribution) from the American Psychological Foundation. One of her most widely read books is The Myth of Repressed Memory (co-authored with Katherine Ketcham).