As a forensic science practitioner for over nine years I was involved in many national and international cases, including high profile cases.  My casework portfolio incorporates multiple offence and evidence types but was usually concerned with the interpretation and evaluation of DNA evidence, particularly cases which involved interpretation of complex profiles, or results from specialist analytical techniques.  

I continue to provide consultancy and expert witness reports particulalry in cases requiring expertise in forensic toxicology (drugs/alchol in body fluids/hair samples) and crime scene examination.

My research has focused on forensic toxicology in three different areas: development and validation of GC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods for the detection of drugs of abuse in blood; quality and proficiency testing within forensic toxicology; the driver Field Impairment Test (FIT) for the detection of drug impaired drivers.  With an interest in drug impairment, I have completed the Robert F. Borkenstein Course on the effects of drugs on human performance and behaviour (recommended for giving expert opinion in cases of driver impairment).  

I also have an interest in presentation of evidence and the use of a verbal scale to evaluate scientific results.

My main focus for research is forensic toxicology and development of methods for alternative sample matrices.

I am actively involved in raising awareness of the increase in anabolic steroid use in society.  I am currently reviewing the availability and potential harms of performance and image enhancing drugs, with a particular focus on anabolic androgenic steroids.

I am interested in investigating how 'forensic' analytical methods can be applied to other scientific disciplines.

It is my ambition to expand and develop reserach in the forensic sciences at UWS through (a) development of new methods for detection of controlled substances (b) having a focus on emerging recreational and performance & image enhancing drugs (PIEDs), and (c) creating a body of expertise in effective methods of interpretation and presentation of scientific evidence to lay juries.

Providers of toxicological analysis, point of care drug testing devices or sample collection devices

Those providing services to people who use drugs (e.g. needle exchange programmes)

Scottish Institue for Policing Research and the Forensic Science Regulator

The Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde

The Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology