April 21st 2009

Dreadful police handling of forensic evidence in the 1980s Lindy Chamberlain affair and in some other cases propelled Australia into becoming a global leader in forensic science research and standards.

But could Australia's leading lights of forensic science soon be dimmed as our counterparts in the United States react to savage criticism for their research and standards? Will a huge injection of research funding see a reformed US forensic science sector eclipse Australia’s hard-won progress? This public lecture takes stock of Australian forensic science within a changing global setting and urges greater research investment locally to ensure Australia stays a leader.

Claude Roux
Claude Roux is Director of the UTS Centre for Forensic Science. Since completing a PhD at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland he has achieved international recognition in forensic science. Claude has fostered collaboration across forensic and other government agencies here and overseas and with international academic partners. He is the President of the Australian & NZ Association of Forensic Science Educators and Researchers and Chair of the 2010 International Symposium of the Australian & NZ Forensic Science Society.

Adjunct Professor Alastair Ross AM
Alastair Ross was the inaugural Director of the National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS) and with the support of the Board and Panel of Advisors led the Institute to a position of national and international recognition. He has recently returned to NIFS to assist with its integration into the Australia New Zealand Police Advisory Agency (ANZPAA).

Resources

• flyer (PDF 112k)
• audio recording (MP3 32 MB)
• presentation slides - Claude Roux (PDF 1.3 MB)
• presentation slides - Alastair Ross (PDF 100 k)

UTSPEAKS: is a free public lecture series presented by UTS experts discussing a range of important issues confronting contemporary Australia