Elena Windsong | SIU

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Dr. Yesilyurt began teaching at SIU in 2022 after teaching at Rutgers University and Iona University. He received his Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the University of Central Florida in 2011 and currently serves as the faculty advisor for the Criminal Justice Association.

Dr. Yesilyurt teaches core criminology and criminal justice courses, as well as homeland security courses. He previously worked for the Department of Organized Crime and Cybercrime Division in Turkey, where he developed projects on cybercrime and crime analysis to enhance Turkey’s capacity during the accession process to the European Union. Later, Dr. Yesilyurt worked for the International Center for Terrorism and Transnational Crime (UTSAM)in Turkey as a faculty member and researcher. Dr. Yesilyurt is an interdisciplinary researcher, and his research interests draw on the utilization of organizational theories and social network theory to examine police and other criminal justice agencies. His research interests are highly focused on policing, cybercrime, cybersecurity, drug abuse, and drug offenses.