The U of A School of Law interim Dean Alena Allen has appointed Jill Wieber Lens to serve as associate dean for research and faculty development. Wieber started her new role in January.

"Professor Lens is a nationally recognized expert on the legal ramifications of stillbirth," Allen said. "She is committed to fostering and cultivating an environment that is supportive of faculty research. The law school will benefit tremendously from her vision and advocacy."

Lens joins the senior administrative leadership team, where she will work with Tiffany Murphy, associate dean for academic affairs and interim associate dean for student success, and Jim Miller, senior associate dean for students.

"I thank Dean Allen for this opportunity," Lens said. "I'm so proud of the research that the law faculty produces, and I look forward to serving in my new role."

Lens is a leading expert on legal recognition and treatment of stillbirth. Her work is forthcoming or has appeared in the Boston College Law Review, Washington University Law Review, Iowa Law Review and Boston University Law Review, and has been cited by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She has also been quoted in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Lens received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with honors in political science and the liberal arts. She received her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she received an Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement and graduated Order of the Coif. She also served as Note & Comment Editor of the Iowa Law Review.

Prior to joing the U of A School of Law in 2018, Lens was a professor of law at Baylor University School of Law. Before entering academia, she practiced commercial and appellate litigation in St. Louis, Missouri.