Profile:
As the Director of Interpersonal Violence Research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center (GVRC) and a faculty affiliate with the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government (SUNY) and the Health Criminology Research Consortium at Saint Louis University, Dr. Semenza earned his Ph.D. in sociology at Emory University in 2018 under the direction of Dr. Robert Agnew. He has published more than fifty 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 recognized in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR, The Trace, FOX, CBS, and NBC Â鶹´«Ã½. Dr. Semenza currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Criminal Justice and the Journal of Marriage and Family, and teaches courses on urban gun violence prevention, theories of crime and delinquency, violence in society, and juvenile delinquency. 

Research Interests:
My 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. I have recently published my work in Social Science & Medicine, Justice Quarterly, Health & Place, Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Preventive Medicine, Homicide Studies, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Crime and Delinquency. 

Affiliations:
Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at SUNY – Faculty Researcher The Health Criminology Research Consortium at Saint Louis University – External Research Fellow