CENTER STAFF

Director, Dr. Marie-Helen Maras

Dr. Marie-Helen Maras is the Director of the Center for Cybercrime Studies.  She is a Professor at the Department of Security, Fire, and Emergency Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is also a faculty member of the MS program in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity at John Jay College and the PhD program in Criminal Justice at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Her education is multidisciplinary, covering law, social science, and technology. She has a DPhil in Law and an MPhil and MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Oxford. In addition, she holds a graduate degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven and undergraduate degrees in Computer and Information Science and Psychology from UMUC.

Her academic background and research cover cyberlaw, cybercrime and other forms of transnational crime, transnational security, and the legal, political, social, cultural, and economic impact of digital technology. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed academic journal articles (in, for example, Journal of Cyber Policy, European Journal of Criminology, Information & Communications Technology Law, International Journal of Evidence and Proof, and International Data Privacy Law, among other journals) and books, including Real Criminology (Oxford University Press, forthcoming), Cybercriminology (Oxford University Press, 2017); Computer Forensics: Cybercriminals, Laws, and Evidence (now in its second edition; Jones and Bartlett, 2015); Transnational Security(CRC Press, 2015); CRC Press Terrorism Reader (CRC Press, 2014); and Counterterrorism (Jones and Bartlett, 2013), among other publications.

She served as the Director and Principal Investigator (PI) for federal (U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance) and congressional awards of approximately $6,000,000. She has also served as the Director and PI of a National Institute of Justice grant (app. $600,000) and a co-PI on two NSF grants focused on improving cyberinfrastructure at the college and enhancing institutional cybersecurity research talent (app. $400,000). Dr. Maras serves as a subject matter expert and consultant on cybercrime and cyber organized crime for UNODC.

Prior to her academic post, she served in the U.S. Navy for approximately seven years gaining significant experience in security, international investigations, and law enforcement from her posts as a Navy Law Enforcement Specialist and Command Investigator. During the early stages of her military career, she worked as an Electronics and Calibration Technician.

Investigations & Digital Forensics Lead, Jonathan Manik

A former Anti-Fraud Specialist, Jonathan fortified financial institutions against fraudulent activities through a comprehensive anti-fraud program. Leveraging his credentials as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI), he implemented prevention and detection strategies, led complex fraud (including cyber-enabled-fraud) and misconduct investigations, and educated stakeholders on fraud risk and cybersecurity threats. His expertise in fraud risk management and cybersecurity safeguarded assets and reputation across the banking and telecommunications sectors. He has since directed investigations into financial fraud, insider threats, misconduct, and cyber-enabled fraud, combining forensic acquisition and analysis with compliance to national and international standards. Jonathan is recognized for leading investigative teams, conducting digital forensics—including mobile and IoT forensics, and delivering defensible findings to regulators, law enforcement, and executive stakeholders.

At the Center for Cybercrime Studies (CCBYERS), Jonathan oversees digital forensic operations, evidence handling, IoT device analysis, and the development of standard operating procedures. He contributed to a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)–funded project building a searchable IoT device database, and currently plays a central role in a NIST-funded initiative establishing a Cybercrime Investigations Laboratory and Research Facility. His technical expertise spans Cellebrite, EnCase, Autopsy, FTK Imager, Belkasoft, Magnet Forensics, and packet analysis tools like Wireshark, supported by Python scripting for automation. He also integrates project management systems to streamline case tracking, inventory, and workflows.

Jonathan holds dual master’s degrees: an M.S. in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity (John Jay College, CUNY) and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunication Management) from the University of Indonesia, along with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Pancasila University and an Associate Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Telkom University.

Research Associate and Website Manager, Kenji Logie

The Research Associate, Kenji Logie, is a student in the Criminal Justice Ph.D. program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He has been an Adjunct Lecturer at CUNY for the last 8 years, teaching courses in statistics, programming, web design, database design, digital forensics, and system analysis and design. He has over 10 years of programming experience in many programming and scripting languages, including C++, Python, and SQL. Over the last 3 years, the RA has built several tools for research projects in the areas of darknet investigations, IP tracing, indoor-localization, and data visualization. Research Associate Logie holds a B.S./M.P.S. in Business Information Systems from Brooklyn College (CUNY), and an M.S. in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY).

 

Research Associate, Bryce Barthuly

Bryce Barthuly is a Data Scientist at the Center for Cybercrime Studies and an R&D Engineer at the Office for International Research Partnerships at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is a former instructor of the international crime & justice program at John Jay. He has extensive experience as a data scientist, full-stack developer, and applied researcher. His expertise includes data mining, warehousing, analysis, and visualization, specializing in business intelligence, machine learning, geographic information systems, and social network analysis. His areas of research expertise encompass computational criminology, cybercrime, transnational organized crime, wildlife trafficking, and international policing.

Research & Lab Assistance, Katrina Perry

Katrina is a third-year doctoral student in the Criminal Justice Ph.D. program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In addition to her studies, she serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in John Jay’s undergraduate Criminal Justice program, where she teaches courses such as Understanding Criminal Behavior. She holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice and a certificate in Cybercriminology and Cybersecurity from Bridgewater State University. During her time there, she gained hands-on experience in digital forensics, working with tools like Magnet AXIOM to investigate cybercrime. Currently, Katrina works as a Laboratory Research Assistant at the Center for Cybercrime Studies, where she contributes to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) grant. In this role, she has played a key part in establishing a state-of-the-art Cybercrime Investigations Laboratory Research Facility. Her responsibilities include managing procurement, tracking new equipment acquisitions, maintaining the lab’s inventory system, and conducting research on the illicit trade of substances on darknet marketplaces. Her efforts have helped Center for Cybercrime Studies gain national recognition as a leader in cybercrime research and investigative support.Katrina’s research is deeply focused on hate crimes and violent extremism in online environments. Her research interests include race, crime, and justice; racial violence; hate crimes and hate speech; and the dynamics of extremism in digital spaces. She has contributed to several qualitative research projects, including a study exploring the manifestation of hate speech on Dread, a darknet forum. She plans to continue investigating how extremist ideologies emerge and spread online, particularly within the darknet, and how digital risk related to right-wing extremism can be assessed.

Research Focus: Cyber-enabled crime, with an emphasis on how extremist groups use online platforms to disseminate harmful content

Research Assistant, Social Media and Website Manager, Julia Gray

Julia Gray is the Social Media and Website Manager and a Research Assistant at the Center for Cybercrime Studies. Since joining the Center as a Project Associate for the Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program in 2023, she has used her multidisciplinary work experience to transition into her present roles in marketing and research. In addition to working as a co-author on a Darknet research study at the Center, RA Gray is working as a co-author on a second manuscript related to Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), or “Red Flag” Gun Laws. Over the last five years, RA Gray has gained experience leading and facilitating research studies, experiments, and meta-analyses spanning a wide range of psychological and legal topics. As a recipient of the Stetson University Research Experience (SURE) Grant, RA Gray was awarded the 2022 Psi Chi/SEPA Regional Research Award for her poster presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) Committee on Equality of Professional Opportunity (CEPO) Conference. Her education includes a M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), as well as a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in French & Francophone Studies from Stetson University.

Affiliated Research Faculty

For affiliated research faculty, see Expertise page.