Laura McLester
Teaching Assistant Professor, Digital Forensics Coordinator
(205) 934-1989
UBOB 440D
Research Interests: Digital forensics, Trust and Safety, Intelligence data analysis
Office Hours: By appointment
Education:- B.A., University of Alabama in Huntsville
- M.S.W., University of Alabama
- M.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham
Ms. McLester enjoys introducing the broad world of digital forensics to students who hope to work as or with future investigators and analysts. She teaches digital forensic overview courses and brings social media Trust and Safety insight to the coursework after an enjoyable career as a Cyber Threat Investigator and Senior Cyber Intelligence Analyst at LinkedIn. She enjoys bringing real world assignments to the coursework and using different types of activities to help hone the thought processes being taught. She is a great person to chat with about getting started in the digital forensics field both as a new graduate or as a pivot into a second career, as she herself did. Coming from Social Work, she is always excited to talk about the transfer of skills across topics and loves the chance to collaborate on out-of-the box approaches to investigating cases or solving problems.
Ms. McLester lives in the quiet woods outside the excitement of Birmingham with her family. She enjoys discussing books, watching the stars, and researching her inquisitive children’s questions and needs.