PhD in Criminology, Law and Society

Selimul Quader

Describe your current area of research and/or your academic interests.

I am interested in cybercrime research, particularly in areas of hacking, malware and ransomware, dark web cybercriminal activity, cybercrime service, online fraud, and cyber-policing. Key questions my research seeks to answer include how offending and victimization are contrasted with in differing forms of cybercrime, how to adequately explain cybercrime offending across its types, and how to effectively predict as well as prevent cybervictimization. My research is also focused on the business dynamics of the current cybercrime services available for purchase in online illicit markets worldwide.

Why did you choose George Mason to pursue your studies and were there any key deciding factors?

I found CLS Faculty pool at Mason to be widely diverse in their specializations. I also found resourceful faculty matching my research interests in cybercrime. The availability of faculty and related resources for the pursuit of my research goals and academic endeavors mostly influenced my decision to attend Mason for my PhD.

In addition, word-of-mouth recommendations from my academic mentors and supervisors at my previous school (Illinois State University) provided me with extra motivations to consider Mason as a place conducive to learning, faculty-student support, and research-intensive atmosphere.

What opportunities have you had to work directly with agencies/engage in applied research?

My current supervisor Dr. Lee has exposed me to some interesting research projects lately. One particular project is about dark web survey data which is one of its kind in terms of data type collected by cybercrime researchers so far. I am enjoying the research engagement in these projects and envision that our research will add major contributions to the prevention of cybercrime efficiently.

How do you hope to use your degree and studies in the future?

I have a plan to join academia after my PhD in cybercrime and work in a research-intensive career. I hope to focus on some emerging challenges to cybercrime such as use of Generative AI (GenAI) and Large Language Model (LLM) tools in enhancing cybercrime offending as well as victimization. Many forms of cybercrime are currently being facilitated by advancements in digital technologies, and the latest addition to this trend is the use of GenAI and LLM programs. In the foreseeable future, the cybercrime prevention is projected to face more challenges in the wake of GenAI and LLM tools and my research is expected to offer substantive contributions to this emerging trend.