About

I am a Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Programme Leader for the MSc Financial Investigation and Digital Intelligence, and Programme Leader for the MSc Criminal Investigation.

I have over 20 years of academic, research and professional experience. This includes national and international recognition as a specialist in financial crime and financial investigation, criminal/financial intelligence, organised crime, and crime prevention. It also includes experience of lecturing in criminology at Cardiff University and the University of Ottawa.

I currently supervise three PhD candidates in addition to a number of postgraduates and undergraduates. I have supervised three PhD candidates to successful completion as well as over 40 empirical research projects at postgraduate and undergraduate level.

I am happy to receive expressions of interest from prospective doctoral research applicants with interests in the following areas (and am happy to receive requests to serve as an examiner for doctoral viva voce examinations in the following areas):

• financial crime
• financial investigation
• cyber-crime
• digital investigation
• fraud
• money laundering
• organised crime

Please note that any discussion of expressions of interest to study for a PhD would be informal, and that the only basis for a potential offer is the formal application process.

I am a member of the College Research Committee (CRC) as well as the College Research Ethics Committee (CREC).

Teaching responsibilities

Undergraduate

• 5CJ547 Real World Criminology (seminar groups)
• 5CJ548 Social Research Methods (seminar groups)
• 6CJ536 International Criminology (co-module leader)

Postgraduate

• 7CJ500 Applied Research (module leader)
• 7CJ530 Digital Intelligence (module leader)
• 7CJ531 Digital Investigation (module leader)
• 7CJ537 Financial Intelligence (support to associate lecturer)
• 7CJ538 Financial Investigation (module leader)
• 7CJ539 Fundamentals of Financial and Digital Investigation (support to associate lecturer)
• 7CJ999 Independent Studies (module leader)

Professional interests

My professional interests focus on the topic areas of financial crime, money laundering, financial investigation, financial intelligence, fraud, organised crime, cyber-crime, digital investigation and digital intelligence.

I am a member of the Midlands Fraud Forum (MFF) and sit on its steering committee. Affiliated with the National Network of Fraud Forums, the MFF is an active body that promotes awareness, education, and good practice in tackling fraud and financial/economic crime affecting the public and private sectors.

Research interests

Running parallel to my professional interests, my research interests focus on the topic areas of:

• financial crime
• money laundering
• financial investigation
• financial intelligence
• fraud
• organised crime
• cyber-crime
• digital investigation
• digital intelligence

I welcome requests for professional support in reviewing the merits of funding applications and works submitted for potential publication, and have provided such service to the following bodies:

• Cambridge University Press
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Palgrave
• Routledge
• Sage
• Taylor and Francis

I welcome requests to serve as an examiner for prospective PhD viva voce examinations in my areas of specialisation, and have supervised the following PhDs to successful completion:

• Ita, R. (2018) The Margin of Appreciation Doctrine and the Interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights as a Living Instrument (Unpublished PhD Thesis). Derby: University of Derby.
• 1st Supervisor: Dr David Hicks
• 2nd Supervisor: Professor Ilias Bantekas (Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar)

• Tolkovsky, N. (2018) The 'Duality' of Fraud in English Law and Practice (Unpublished PhD Thesis). Derby: University of Derby.
• 1st Supervisor: Dr David Hicks
• 2nd Supervisor: Dr Henriette Bergstrom

• Li, X.B. (2009)  Money Laundering and its Regulation in China (PhD Thesis), Cardiff: Cardiff University School of Social Sciences.
  • 1st Supervisor: Professor Michael Levi (Cardiff University)
  • 2nd Supervisor: Dr David Hicks

Membership of professional bodies

• British Society of Criminology (BSC)
• European Society of Criminology (ESC)
• Midlands Fraud Forum (MFF)

Qualifications

• BSocSc Hons Criminology — University of Ottawa
• BSocSc Hons Sociology — University of Ottawa
• MA Criminology — University of Ottawa
• PCUTL Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning — Cardiff University
• PhD — Cardiff University
• FHEA Fellow — Higher Education Academy

Recent conferences

• 27th March 2017, Cybercrime Workshop, Better Policing Collaborative (BPC) research funded by the College of Policing, Home Office, and Hefce. Hosted at the University of Birmingham.
• 19th September 2016, Cybercrime Workshop, Better Policing Collaborative (BPC) research funded by the College of Policing, Home Office, and Hefce. Hosted at the University of Birmingham.
• February of each year, Annual Midlands Fraud Forum (MFF) conference typically held at the Tally Ho Conference Facility, West Midlands Training Facility in Birmingham, and relevant MFF masterclasses held in Birmingham and other locations across the midlands.

International experience

Lecturing experience in both Canada and the United Kingdom.

Project work with colleagues in various countries and regions such as Australia, Europe, and the United States.

Recent publications

• Hicks, D.C, and Graycar, A. (2019, Summer Forthcoming). “Money Laundering”, in  Mangai Natarajan (ed.) International and Transnational Crime and Justice: An Anthology, New York: Cambridge.
• Hughes, C., Hicks, D., and Tolkovsky, N. (Under Review) Civil Forfeiture of the Proceeds of Crime.
• Hicks, D., Tolkovsky, N., Hughes, C., Bandyopadhyay, S., and Matsa, A.  (2017) Cybercrime Systematic Evidence Review (Unpublished Research Report). London: College of Policing. A study completed under the Better Policing Collaborative (BPC) sponsored by the Police Knowledge Fund (PKF), financed by the College of Policing, Hefce and the Home Office.