[9] After leaving Williams College in 2019, Laura took a position as an associate professor of psychology in the School of Interdisciplinary Forensics at Arizona State University.
[11] The main focus of her research lab includes evaluating eyewitness identification evidence in regards to legal professionals and how it can influence wrongful convictions.
[1] Smalarz received a grant from the National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship Program to complete her dissertation which focused on the relationship between eyewitness identification and how it leads to wrongful convictions.
[15][1] These papers each had unique takes on eyewitness testimony and identification including: stereotyping,[6][16] memory performance,[17] wrongfully convicted exonerations through the use of DNA,[18] police interrogations,[19] lineups,[20] and mobilization and resistance[21] to name a few.
[9] Throughout her short career at Arizona State University, Laura has been busy publishing a wide range of papers with a primary focus specifically regarding wrongful convictions in relation to eyewitness identification.
[1] Her early work at Arizona State University offers various takes on disclosing feedback to eyewitness identification,[22][23][24] confidence and reliability,[25][26][27] and line ups.
[1] Laura Smalarz dedicates a lot of her time doing work for the National Innocence Project, including making multiple appearances in media speaking on and defending the wrongfully convicted.
[34] She states, "The police did not use scientific best practices for collecting the eyewitness identification evidence" and continues on to explain the bias choices that led to Grant's conviction.