Dr. Cooper Maher joined the MSU School of Criminal Justice as an Assistant Professor in August 2025, after earning his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Maher’s research interests center upon understanding online fraud victimization, including understanding the correlates of risk, victimization consequences, and victim decision making as it relates to fraud.
Join us in welcoming Dr. Maher to the School!
What originally interested you in Criminal Justice?
I had always been interested in criminal justice for as long as I can remember. I remember wanting to be a police officer early in my childhood, and carried that aspiration for several years before ultimately joining the US Army in 2011, shortly after receiving my high school diploma. After returning from active duty, I resumed my undergraduate education at Weber State University and continued to have a strong interest in criminal justice. During this time, I served in the Corrections Division of the Davis County Sheriff’s Office in Farmington Utah while completing my bachelor’s degree. As I entered the final semester of my bachelor’s degree, I realized that I was especially interested in conducting research relating to criminal justice, and grew this interest while completing my master’s degree at Weber State University and my Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati.
What are your research interests and what sparked that interest?
My research interests center upon understanding the victimization risk, consequences, and victim decision making with particular focus on online fraud victimization and cybercrime more generally. In this sense, my research seeks to identify and examine the correlates of victimization and understanding factors associated with reporting one’s victimization to various criminal justice authorities—including law enforcement personnel, victim service providers, and other entities such as the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Also, my research seeks to understand both the financial and nonfinancial consequences of fraud and cybercrime victimization, including the emotional and physical health consequences of victimization. I developed an interest in fraud and cybercrime-related research while I was a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati when I was awarded internal funding to examine these topics using primary data.
What is your favorite part of teaching?
My favorite part of teaching is engaging in mentorship of students to help them achieve their research and career goals, and watching students' skills and interests grow and develop. Beyond this, I love watching students apply what they’ve learned in class to their own individual interests.
What are you most excited about joining the School?
I am most excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the faculty and to serve as a mentor to the next generation of students in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Beyond this, I am excited to continue engaging in research relating to fraud and cybercrime and sharing my findings with the local community.
What is a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?
Outside of academia, I am a huge foodie and love finding new restaurants and trying new foods with my wife!