THOMAS J. HOLT
Assistant Professor

Ph.D. (2005) University of Missouri-Saint Louis
M.A. (2003)  University of Missouri-Saint Louis
B.A. (2000)   University of Missouri-Saint Louis

Office Address:

5069 Colvard
Department of Criminal Justice
University of North Carolina – Charlotte
Charlotte, NC  28223-0001
Phone:  704-687-6081 (phone)
Fax:      704-687-3349 (fax)
Email:   tjholt@uncc.edu

Dr. Thomas Holt is a criminologist who teaches courses in Computer Crime, Criminological Theory, and Juvenile Justice at the graduate and undergraduate levels.  His research focuses on several distinct areas that cut across the disciplines of criminology, sociology, and information technology.  Specifically, Dr. Holt examines computer crime, cybercrime, and technology the role that technology and the Internet play in facilitating all manner of crime and deviance. 

He has published on the norms and values that structure computer hacker subculture, as well as the role of peer relationships in the act of hacking.  Dr. Holt is also conducting research examining the dynamics of the on-line black market, where criminals sell and exchange stolen personal data and tools to engage in a variety of computer crimes.  Dr. Holt is also a member of the research team in the UNC-Charlotte Honeynet Project, examining the behaviors of computer attackers in a real-time computing environment. 

Dr. Holt has also begun to examine the behavior of sexual deviants on-line and the influence of technology on sexuality in general.  Dr. Holt has published research with Dr. Kristie Blevins exploring the way that the customers of prostitutes, called johns, utilize the Internet to discuss and solicit sex workers.  Their research has also identified the potential role that computer mediated communications play in affecting crime displacement strategies in the real world. 

Finally, Dr. Holt actively collaborates with computer and information systems scientists, law enforcement, businesses, and technologists to understand and link the technological and social elements of computer crime.  He presents at a variety of computer security and technology conferences around the country.  Dr. Holt is also a regular presenter at the American Society of Criminology meetings, and is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Cyber Criminology. 

To view a copy of Dr. Holt’s CV, click here