My research is multidisciplinary, covering a wide variety of subjects including the detailed gross, microscopic and biomolecular analysis of adult and juvenile remains to establish all aspects of biological and personal identity including the sex, age at death, and disease and trauma status of the individual. We are working on some new and exciting multidisciplinary approaches to identification all underpinned by anatomical information and understanding.

Current and recent MSc projects:

Grant Thomson: Body recovery from hostile environments (graduated 2011)
Briony MacDonald-MacMillan: Surface markings in hand identification (graduated 2011)
Katie Nicol Baines: Knuckle creases in hand identification
Nigel Humphreys: Forensic matching centres

Current and recent PhD projects:

Ashley Stephen: The effect of focused sports activity on the growth plate – with Prof Rami Abboud (IMAR) and Brian Ewing (ISE)
Nurul Yusof: Micro CT and the development of the sacro-iliac joint
Andrew O’Malley: Micro CT and the development of the scapula
Catriona Davies: The persistence of ghost lines
Harriet Stratton: Vein pattern analysis

Other projects:

ISEC - Innovation in forensic anatomical identification - combating the sexual exploitation of children. DrHelen Meadows, Eilidh Ferguson, Harriet Stratton
Dr J Bikker: FP7 grant – FASTID. Partners Interpol, Plassdata, Fraunhoffer Institute, BKA and Crabbe Consulting
Dr Roos Eisma: Remote forensic anthropology reporting
Dr Craig Cunningham: Micro CT and the developing ilium
Prof Manuel Trucco: Hand image automation
Dr Niamh NicDaeid (Strathclyde): Fatal fire investigations – SUII grant
Prof Fiona Raitt, Prof Pamela Ferguson, Prof Colin Aiken, Forensic Regulator: Scots law of evidence – relevance to the digital age – SUII grant
Universities of Southampton, Warwick, Leicester, Bath and Canterbury: Investigation of super identity.EPSRC grant.
Prof Andreas Melzer (IMSAT): Thiel cadavers as a model for interventional radiology procedures (MRC-DPFS funded project)