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Education

• Ph.D. (Criminal Justice), 2025 – University of Cincinnati
• MPH (Public Health), 2011 - University of North Carolina
• B.S. (Sociology), 2004 - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Biography

Dr. Nicole Wilkes is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. She received her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati and master’s in public health from the University of North Carolina.

She joined ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 2025 after serving as a faculty member at Wilmington College, a research assistant at the University of Cincinnati, and a research associate at the Crime Victims’ Institute at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Wilkes began her career working as a victim advocate at a domestic violence and sexual assault program in rural Minnesota. This experience inspired her commitment to teaching and researching issues related to victimization and justice system responses.

Teaching Responsibilities

As faculty, Dr. Wilkes has taught undergraduate criminal justice courses in different areas, including victimology, women and crime, crime prevention, criminal justice policy, criminological theory, policing, and substance use and crime.

Research Interests

Dr. Wilkes’s research focuses on gender-based violence, victim services, intimate partner strangulation, system responses to victimization, and research methodology. She uses quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches in her work.