Rate My Professor Michael Wilson

Dr Michael Wilson serves as a Lecturer in the School of Law and Criminology at Murdoch University, a position he has held since January 2021. His academic background includes a Doctor of Philosophy from Queensland University of Technology, awarded in 2020 for his thesis entitled "The politics of privacy protection: An analysis of resistance to metadata retention and encryption access laws." He also holds dual bachelor's degrees in Justice (Honours) and Criminology and Criminal Justice. Prior to academia, Wilson worked at the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General, specializing in information management and managing misconduct investigations. This practical expertise informs his teaching of units on criminal investigation, evidence, cybercrime, digital evidence, and related topics, bridging scholarly theory with real-world application.

Wilson's research focuses on criminal justice policy, cybercrime investigation, cybersecurity ethics, digital literacy, privacy protection, and the digital divide impacting vulnerable populations such as the elderly, First Nations people, and rural communities. He collaborates with law enforcement agencies to develop actionable strategies for cyber threats and equitable digital citizenship. Key publications include "A principlist framework for cybersecurity ethics" (Computers & Security, 2021, with P. Formosa and D. Richards), "Constructing the ideal victim in the United States of America’s annual trafficking in persons reports" (Crime, Law and Social Change, 2016, with E. O’Brien), "Police preparedness to respond to cybercrime in Australia: An analysis of individual and organizational capabilities" (Journal of Criminology, 2022, with C. Cross, T. Holt, and A. Powell), "Specifying a principle of cryptographic justice as a response to the problem of going dark" (Ethics and Information Technology, 2023), and "Responding to cybercrime: Results of a comparison between community members and police personnel" (Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 2021, with C. Cross, T. Holt, and A. Powell). Additionally, he supervises postgraduate theses and serves as Chair of the University Student Appeals Committee.