We have been using technical scientific evidence to assist criminal prosecutions for only about 160 years. Over that time, some of the areas of forensic science have remained essentially unchanged, while others have been revolutionised. What hasn’t changed is the need to communicate the meaning of traces recovered from people and places, and what their analysis means within the context of a case and there in lies the ultimate science communication challenge.

The speaker:

Professor Niamh Nic Daeid is an award winning forensic scientist and analytical chemist. She is a Professor of Forensic Science and Director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee. She has been involved in forensic science education, research and casework for over 31 years. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and holds fellowships of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Chartered Society of Forensic Science, the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, the Royal Statistical Society and the UK Association of Fire Investigators. She is a Chartered Chemist, a registered forensic practitioner with the National Crime Agency and an authorised Forensic Chemist in Scotland. She has worked on many forensic cases particularly in fire investigation.

Niamh holds national and international roles with the Home Office, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, INTERPOL, the International Criminal Court, and the United Nations. She sits on the steering committee of the Judicial primers which produce science primers for Judges led by senior Judiciary in collaboration with the Royal Society and Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Niamh has received awards for her work including the ENFSI distinguished forensic scientist award, the Pete Ganci award for services to fire investigation, The Stephen Fry Award for public engagement, the Herald Higher education innovation award, and from the Royal Society of Edinburgh - the Adam Smith medal for Public Engagement and, with her team, the Mary Somerville medal for research engagement. She has published over 200 peer reviewed research papers and book chapters and holds a research grant portfolio in excess of £17.5 million.