Assistant Professor
Research Interests
- Victim-Offender Overlap
- Sexual Assault
- Sexual Harassment
- Military Sexual Trauma
- Interpersonal Cybercrime Victimization
Biography
Dr. Makayla Burden is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University in 2026. Dr. Burden received the National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship to support her dissertation titled: "Military Sexual Trauma of Female Veterans: A Mixed Methods Study." Her research focuses on victimization, sexual violence, and interpersonal cybercrime victimization. Her work has been published in Criminal Justice Review, Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Family Violence, Global Crime, Victims & Offenders, and others.
Education
Ph.D. Criminal Justice, Michigan State University (2026)
Bachelor's Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University (2020)