John C. Kircher

John C. Kircher was a professor at the University of Utah who arrived as a graduate student in psychology in 1977 and earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Utah. He later held a teaching position in the department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah before retiring from the University of Utah to join Converus as Chief Scientist in 2019. Dr. Kircher passed away on November 18, 2025, following a battle with cancer, and earned the Distinguished Innovation and Impact Award in 2017.

Kircher's most transformative contribution to polygraph science was introducing the world's first computerized polygraph system in 1991 with Dr. David Raskin, which incorporated the first algorithm to be used for evaluating physiological data collected for diagnostic purposes. His research spanned Comparison Question Test (CQT) methodology, computerized scoring systems, and countermeasures detection. He co-developed the Utah Numerical Scoring System and conducted influential meta-analyses demonstrating polygraph validity. In 2002, during a road trip to climb Mt. Rainier, Dr. Kircher and Dr. Doug Hacker conceived the idea for an ocular-motor deception test, which became EyeDetect—the first ocular-motor deception test (ODT). He later invented the Multi-Issue Comparison Test (MCT), the first credibility assessment to classify examinees on a question-by-question basis.

Dr. Kircher published more than 90 scientific publications and technical reports in the field of psychophysiological detection of deception and served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Science Foundation, National Research Council, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and numerous state and local police departments. His most important collaborator was David C. Raskin, with whom he worked for decades at the University of Utah. Their laboratories were recognized worldwide as leaders in research and development of polygraph methods and computer techniques. He also frequently collaborated with Charles Robert Honts and Steven W. Horowitz on controlled laboratory studies.

Kircher's work bridged psychophysiology, computer science, and cognitive psychology. His computerized polygraph systems fundamentally transformed the field from analog to digital methodology, while his later ocular-motor research incorporated expertise in reading psychology and eye-tracking technology. His research ranged from fundamental validation studies of the CQT in both laboratory and field settings to exploring new physiological measures (pupil diameter, cardiovascular patterns) and developing automated, algorithm-based decision-making systems that reduced human bias in credibility assessment.