CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- A professor at the University of Virginia School of Law has been recognized on a national level.

According to a release, Megan Stevenson, an economist and criminal justice scholar, has been awarded the inaugural Donald M. Ephraim Prize in Law and Economics.

This award is sponsored by the University of Chicago Law School to recognize an early-career scholar in the field of law and economics whose work has advanced the state of knowledge in the field.

It also highlights such scholars whose intellectual impact may reach far beyond law school.

The release says this prize includes a $30,000 case award, and Stevenson will be presenting research in Chicago in the spring and during the 2023-24 academic year.

Ephraim says he created this prize “to recognize and reward an eminent younger scholar whose promise and potential is likely to significantly impact the field of law and economics.”

Stevenson has been involved in research on various areas of criminal justice reform, such as bail, algorithmic risk assessment, and juvenile justice.

Her work on bail has been extensively cited in the federal O’Donnell V. Harris County civil rights decision reforming the bail system in part of Texas.