Paul J. Brantingham, a lawyer and criminologist, is professor of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. Educated at Columbia University in New York, and Cambridge University in England, he was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Interdisciplinary at Simon Fraser during the early 1980s and Director of the Simon Fraser Centre for Canadian Studies during 1992. Prior to joining Simon Fraser University in 1977, Professor Brantingham taught at Florida State University. From 1985 through 1987, he served in government as Director of Special Reviews at the Public Service Commission of Canada. He has been a member of the California Bar since 1969.

Professor Brantingham has been involved in crime analysis and research into crime prevention for more than 20 years and currently serves as Co-Director of the Crime Prevention Analysis Laboratory (CPAL) at Simon Fraser. He is author or editor of more than 20 books and scientific monographs, and more than 100 articles and scientific papers. Recent work has included studies of auto theft for the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police and efforts to help introduce a legal aid system in China through the United Nations' International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy.