Temple Law School is proud to introduce its newest Merritt Fellows, 2Ls Dominique Hazel-Criss, and Shubh Mehta. As part of the fourth cohort of The William J. Merritt Student Fellowship, both students will pursue critical research at the intersection of technology, society, and law.
Dominique Hazel-Criss: Examining Law Enforcement’s Use of Facial Recognition Technology
Dominique Hazel-Criss will dedicate her Merritt Fellowship to exploring the growing relationship between law enforcement and facial recognition technology. Her research focuses on how law enforcement agencies rely on third-party surveillance sources, such as major retailers like Walmart, to identify suspects in crimes unrelated to the surveillance’s original purpose.
“In a highly digitized society, we are always under surveillance at some point in the day,” Hazel-Criss said. “I want to look at how and to what extent this surveillance, obtained for ordinary purposes like grocery shopping or just walking on the street, can be used by law enforcement.”
Hazel-Criss’ research will examine the legal implications of police obtaining and using private surveillance data in both related (e.g., shoplifting) and unrelated (e.g., assault at a park) criminal investigations. Her work will explore constitutional concerns, including potential violations of the First and Fourth Amendments and the right to privacy. They also plan to address the risks posed by facial recognition’s known flaws, including its disproportionate racial impacts and the potential for increased profiling and wrongful arrests.
“My hope for this research is transparency,” she said. “With tech seeping further into nearly all aspects of our lives, the public and our privacy interests should be given deference. We deserve to know what our data is being used for, and that information should not expand beyond its intended purpose.”
For Hazel-Criss, the Merritt Fellowship provides an opportunity to pursue urgent research without the financial pressures that often limit public interest work. “This fellowship reinforces the importance of valuing historically unheard voices,” she said. “I’m honored to have this chance, and I hope to further those aims through my research and involvement as a Merritt Fellow.”
Shubh Mehta: Exploring the Impact of Fintech on Access to Healthcare and Education in Southeast Asia
Shubh Mehta’s Merritt Fellowship research focuses on how financial technology—or “fintech”—continues to reshape access to essential services like healthcare and education, with a particular focus on Southeast Asian communities. Fintech includes digital tools such as mobile payment platforms, online banking services, and peer-to-peer lending systems. These technologies have made it easier for people in underserved regions to afford school tuition, pay for medical care, and participate in economic opportunities that may have been out of reach in the past.
“Ultimately, I hope this research helps to explore how technology democratizes access to services traditionally limited by geography, income, or infrastructure while addressing how inequities arise when users lack digital literacy or access to technology,” Mehta said.
His research will explore both the promise and pitfalls of fintech, aiming to ensure that innovation serves as a tool for equity rather than exacerbating existing divides. By examining these risks and opportunities, she hopes to contribute to larger conversations about ethical innovation and access to justice in the digital economy.
“Being part of the fourth cohort of Merritt Fellows is both humbling and exciting,” Mehta said. “Technology is changing the way we live, work, and interact with the law. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to contribute to that conversation in a meaningful way.”
A Critical Moment for Emerging Tech Policy
Laura Bingham, Director of Temple Law’s Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology (iLIT), emphasized the importance of the Merritt Fellowship in helping students engage with the most pressing questions in tech law and policy.
“We are so proud to see the Merritt scholarship program continue to grow and thrive,” Bingham said. “Through their research, Dominique and Shubh will be pursuing fundamental questions as we stand at a global crossroads in many areas of tech policy. Their work exploring the adoption of AI-enabled facial recognition in policing public spaces and the rise of widescale fintech products, respectively, will unfold during a time of unprecedented investment and deliberation over the design, governance, and regulation of these tools.”
Bingham added, “iLIT strives to bring all Temple students opportunities for hands-on engagement with emerging tech policy and to impart a social justice consciousness within the field in the process. The Merritt scholarship program is a critical anchor for that enduring mission.”
About the Merritt Fellowship
Bill Merritt LAW ‘87 served as President and Chief Executive Officer of InterDigital, an industry-leading research, innovation, and licensing company, from 2005 until his retirement in 2021. Under his leadership, InterDigital created solutions for many of the industry’s most critical and complex technical challenges and grew to include licenses and strategic relationships with many of the world’s leading technology companies. Merritt is a member of Temple Law’s Board of Visitors and now serves as an inaugural member of the iLIT Advisory Board.