Crime Lab is an academic research group based at the Faculty of Law and Criminology, Ghent University. It brings together cutting-edge expertise in computational, quantitative, and analytical criminology to advance the scientific study of crime and society’s responses to it. With a strong interdisciplinary orientation, the group bridges criminology, psychology, data science, spatial analysis, behavioral ecology, and computer science. The team explores a wide range of topics, including the micro-geography of crime, policing strategies, predictive modeling, environmental criminology, public perceptions of crime and safety, and transgressive behaviors such as sexual offending. A central focus lies in understanding the mechanisms behind cooperation and its breakdown—why, when, and how individuals engage in rule-breaking—and how societies can respond effectively. Crime Lab combines crime data with experimental, (factorial) survey, field, and meta-analytic methods to investigate both individual and aggregate patterns of crime and societal reaction. Its members are committed to producing robust, data-driven insights that contribute to academic knowledge and have real-world impact.