Trace C. Vardsveen is currently an independent research consultant and scholar. In particular, his work develops and applies social and cognitive psychological theories to investigate and improve public policy and the law, especially by modeling the factors driving policymakers' and legal actors' perceptions, judgments, and decisions. 

His work has been published in top academic journals, including the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Law and Human Behavior, Psychology, Public Policy and Law, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and the Fordham Urban Law Journal. He has served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Social Science and the Law at Yale Law School’s The Justice Collaboratory, a Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, and a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of New Haven, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social and Cognitive Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, along with a J.D. from the Nebraska College of Law. Additionally, he received a B.F.A. in Film and New Media from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a M.St. in Film Aesthetics from the University of Oxford. Last but certainly not least, he is a self-diagnosed cinephile and animal lover.