Get to know Dr. Taylor Fisher

September 8, 2025

Dr. Taylor Fisher is an Assistant Professor (Fixed-Term) in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU) and an Associate with the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training. Dr. Fisher’s research interests center upon cybercrime and cybersecurity, specifically hacker behavior, risk assessment, and identity theft prevention.

 

 

What originally interested you in Criminal Justice?  

When I was very little (maybe 3 or 4) I told my parents I wanted to be a prisoner. No clue where I got it from but eventually they explained to me that "prisoner" wasn't a career path but that I could work to arrest the bad guys and put them in prison. I was also exposed to forensic science early in my life and so the culmination of an interest in science, a goal of understanding why crime is committed, and a love for school really set me up for a career in studying the CJ system and all it encompasses.

 

What are your research interests and what sparked that interest?

My main interest is the intersection of crime and technology. Over the years of learning about the system, it became clear that the ever changing piece was the technology. The crime types rarely changed, the motivations rarely changed, but the tools being used in the criminal events were evolving. That constant evolution provides a challenge and I really enjoy being able to see how new technologies (like AI) are adopted by society and how these tools can be used to commit criminal acts.

 

What is your favorite part of teaching?

My favorite part of teaching is how each course is unique to the students who are apart of it. I find myself constantly impressed by the work my students do and how they each have their own takeaway from the course. The opportunities within the classroom for them to connect our discussion to their life or something they've recently heard about are what make the education process so natural and successful. Being able to learn from their different perspectives and have students come to me with news stories and updates about our course is what makes the classroom so fun.

 

What are you most excited about joining the School?

I'm lucky enough to have a years worth of experience working with the Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training here at MSU and have been working both as an instructor within the school but also for our law enforcement trainings. The culture here at MSU is built on this incredible work ethic and I've enjoyed being able to work with world leaders in the field of cybercrime. Being able to teach in the classroom for the first time, I'm looking forward to meeting the MSU student body face-to-face and seeing what they are interested in and how we can develop courses to fit their career aspirations. I have a feeling I will be the one learning the most this year.

 

What is a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?

I am so lucky that I get to work with one of my classmates from college, Dr. Rachel McNealey. McNealey and I both received our undergrad and masters degrees at the Univ. of Alabama and have remained friends throughout the rest of our education. We both studied cyber and digital forensics and of our cohorts were one of a few who completed a PhD. We both love the challenge of cyber and yet come at it from different perspectives. So to be able to come to a place like MSU which values cyber criminology so heavily and have the ability to work with my good friend and the other amazing cyber researchers here, I know that MSU will help me to continue my own education and push me to be a better researcher and teacher in the process.