Faculty and Staff

Daniel Murrie, Ph.D. serves as the ILPPP’s Director of Psychology, and as a Professor in the UVA Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. He oversees the ILPPP’s state-wide training programs in forensic evaluation and the postdoctoral fellowships in forensic psychology. As a clinician, he performs forensic evaluations in criminal and civil cases through the ILPPP’s Forensic Psychiatry Clinic. These include evaluations addressing capital mitigation, competence, sanity, violence risk, sexual offending, and civil issues such as emotional injury. As a scholar, Dr. Murrie’s research and teaching address a variety of topics in forensic assessment, risk assessment, and juvenile justice. His primary program of research addresses bias and quality control in forensic mental health evaluations. | CV

Sharon Kelley, J.D., Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in Virginia. Her clinical work includes conducting forensic evaluations with adults and juveniles examining a range of criminal and civil psycholegal issues. Her research interests include juveniles and adults’ capacity to waive Miranda rights and enter guilty pleas, false confessions, and judicial decision making. | CV

Scott D. Bender, Ph.D., ABPP-CN is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Science at UVA. He teaches residents and postdoctoral fellows, and conducts both criminal and civil neuropsychological evaluations for the ILPPP and Neurocognitive Assessment Laboratory. His areas of expertise include traumatic brain injury, post-concussive syndrome, PTSD,  malingering and dissimulation, and assessment of civil competencies. | CV

Sara E. Boyd, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist practicing primarily in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. She completed her forensic psychology postdoctoral fellowship at the ILPPP, where she currently conducts evaluations and provides training for mental health professions on forensic psychology topics. Dr. Boyd’s primary focus is forensic psychological evaluation in civil and criminal matters. She has expertise related to sexual violence, gender and sexual minorities, and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. | CV

Elisha Agee, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in Virginia. She performs forensic evaluations through ILPPP’s Forensic Psychiatry Clinic and at Western State Hospital. These evaluations include competence, sanity, violence risk, mitigation, and sexual offending, for both adults and juveniles. Her research interests include first episode psychosis, trauma/PTSD, and violence risk. | CV

Heather Zelle, J.D., Ph.D. is licensed as an attorney in Pennsylvania and as a clinical psychologist in Virginia. Her clinical work includes conducting forensic assessments examining psycholegal issues such as competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and capacity to waive Miranda rights. Her research and policy interests include capacity to waive Miranda rights, guilty pleas, and advance health care directives with instructions for mental health care. | CV

Xuemei Ding, LL.M. is the Forensic Clinic Administrator. She oversees the Forensic Clinic’s business office, including contracts and invoicing.