Overview
Pursue your research studies with a pioneering group in analysis-based research and make a valuable contribution to scientific understanding and techniques in the forensics field. PhD candidates are encouraged to take an active role in the School's research community in areas of crime scene and evidence, forensic analysis and genetics.
Forensic science is well-established as a discipline at our University. We collaborate with many different investigative organisations including police forces and fire and rescue services, other universities and various forensic analytical services and companies. We have strong relationships with our partners and this allows us to explore, diagnose, understand and develop areas of knowledge to improve the many aspects of forensic and investigative sciences used in court.
You will be joining the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Research Group, members of which include practitioners, consultants, professionals from the field and current researchers within chemical and biological forensic analysis, evidential scene analysis and interpretation.
We have a multidisciplinary academic team ready to support you in your research, working across several research areas within the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Research Group including:
- Crime Scene and Evidence
- Forensic Analysis
- Genetics
- Pedagogy
These research areas explore specialisms in crime scene examination, evidence processing and recovery, scene investigation, standard operating procedures in crime scene practice and issues of crime scene contamination such as fingermark visualisation, fire investigation, forensic medicine and pathology and archaeology. We also explore the chemical and biological analytical aspects of forensic science including evidence recovery methods, extraction of analytes from difficult and unusual matrices and the development and improvement of analytical methods for forensic samples.
Our up-to-date analytical equipment includes advanced optical and electron microscopes, IR, Raman and X-ray spectrometers, GC-MS, GC, ion chromatography, HPLC, AAS, ICP-OES and XRD, and a stable isotope facility.
There will be opportunities to present your work and represent us at internal, national and international scientific conferences, and you will be fully immersed in the group’s research activities. We also encourage cross-discipline interaction with other research groups in our University.
In addition to our Forensic Science PhD, we've also identified a range of innovative research project opportunities for you as a postgraduate researcher.
Supervision and Support
Our supervisory staff are recognised experts in their field. Their research expertise includes:
- Dr Leesa Ferguson - Chemical analysis of finger marks
- Dr Lata Gautam - Drugs analysis and forensic toxicology
- Dr Kyprianos Georgiou - Chemical enhancement of latent finger marks using wet powder suspensions
- Joanne Morrissey - Recovery of fingermarks from ballistic evidence, use of drone at crime scenes
- Dr Lorna Nisbet - Forensic toxicology, the detection of new psychoactive substances in biological matrices
- Dr Rahul Pathak - Body fluid analysis, blood pattern analysis, forensic DNA analysis, entomotoxicology
- Dr Nathalie Zahra - DNA profiling, fingerprint comparison, and human identification methods
Your faculty
The Faculty of Science & Engineering is one of the largest of the four faculties at Anglia Ruskin University. Whether you choose to study with us full-time or part-time, on campus or at a distance, there’s an option whatever your level – from a foundation degree, BSc, MSc, PhD or professional doctorate.
Whichever course you pick, you’ll gain the theory and practical skills needed to progress with confidence. Join us and you could find yourself learning in the very latest laboratories or on field trips or work placements with well-known and respected companies. You may even have the opportunity to study abroad.
Everything we do in the faculty has a singular purpose: to provide a world-class environment to create, share and advance knowledge in science, technology and engineering fields. This is key to all of our futures.
My name is Kavisha Prince Anthony, and I always had a dream of studying abroad. Thankfully, that dream came to life since I applied to the Study Advisor. I was able to receive my visa within four days. I also had some visa refusals in the past; I had about six UK visa refusals in the past, but thankfully, it was not an issue since the Study Advisor was able to make things work this time. I highly recommend Study Advisor for your dreams of going abroad, whether it be the UK or any other European country there is.