Brian W J Rankin (President)
BSc, MSc, Cchem, FRSC
Brian Rankin has been a member of the FSSoc and employed by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) for over 25 years. After completing the MSc in Forensic Science at Strathclyde University he started his career as an operational forensic chemist as part of the Home Office FSS. About half of this time he has been an operational forensic scientist with experience of crime investigation of crimes against property such as burglary, criminal damage, robbery etc. He has also been a fire investigator investigating suspicious fires and he has also been an authorised analyst for the purposes of the Road Traffic Act. During his latter years he had a variety of roles from the management of teams of forensic scientists and involvement in high profile projects and programmes of work within the FSS arena and also with the Home Office and ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers). He has also been involved in the training of police officers of all ranks, scenes of crime officers and the legal profession and is an advocate of an integrated system to support the investigation of crime scene to court. Brian was involved with the setting up of a forensic science element at Bradford University and this course has gone from strength to strength. In addition he is currently an external examiner for some of the crime investigation courses at Teesside University. During his membership of the FSSoc he has held a number of roles including Vice President, Hon Secretary and Council member. He has made significant contributions to all roles and sees the future of the Society as full of potential. Brian is particularly interested in contributing to three areas: follow up action to the recent Select Committee Report 'Forensic Science on Trial', ground work for a Chartered FSSoc and support for running of the Society HQ in Harrogate.

Alexander R W Forrest (Immediate Past President)
Robert Forrest is currently Professor of Forensic Chemistry to the University of Sheffield and Consultant in Clinical Chemistry & Forensic Toxicology to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. He has a particular interest in "white coat" and "blue dress" crime, that is crime committed by health care professionals during the practice of their professions. He also has a, purely professional, interest in modern witchcraft and the potential interaction of its practitioners with the criminal justice system.

He has variously been an ordinary member of the Council of the Society, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Editor before taking up the post of President in November 2005.

Rebecca Pepler (Vice President)
MPhil MRSC MFSSoc RFP
Rebecca began her forensic career in Switzerland before moving to Dundee to work as a forensic chemist for Tayside Police. Subsequently, she moved to Burgoynes where she specialised in the investigation of fires, explosions and chemical incidents in the UK and francophone countries. During a 2 year stint as a Senior Lecturer in forensic science and chemistry at Anglia Ruskin University (formerly APU), she developed and successfully achieved validation for the UK’s first MSc in Fire Investigation, specifically aimed at the practitioner. Over 2 years ago Rebecca moved to M-Scan Ltd as Manager of Forensic Services where she undertakes prosecution and defence casework in forensic chemistry and fire and explosion investigation, along with business development and training of new scientists.

In addition, to her “day job” Rebecca has been a consultant to Gardiner Associates for over 4 years, training many Fire Officers, SOCOs and forensic scientists in both theoretical and practical fire investigation and forensic awareness. She is a Guest Member of the Fire and Explosion Investigation Working Group of ENFSI and a Specialty Assessor for the Fire Scene Examination Register of CRFP. Prior to being elected to Vice President, Rebecca was editor of “interfaces” for 6 years.

As Vice President, Rebecca represents the “voice of the members” on Council. She is working hard to implement a strategy to increase UK and international membership, and will work diligently to address any membership issues that arise during her 2 years as VP.

Colin Ratcliff (Honorary Treasurer)
Colin Ratcliff is Head of Homicide and Cold Cases with LGC Forensics, working from their Culham Laboratory. For many years he was a police officer with Thames Valley Police where his area of expertise was in Crime Scene Investigation, his last post in the force being Detective Inspector, Forensic Services Manager.

He joined the police in 1975 and worked in the field of CSI and Management for most of his service. He did get to spend some time in general police work, suffering varied experiences including uniformed constable and sergeant and as a firearms officer and HOLMES major crime manager. He is a professional member of the CRFP Disciplinary Committee and a Fellow of the Forensic Science Society. He has been a Council and Meetings Committee Member of the Society since 2001 and Honorary Treasurer since 2003.

Interests include trying (despite some self induced barriers) to still play tennis to league standard and holidays without a laptop connection

Shirley Marshall (Honorary Secretary)
Shirley is a Principal Lecturer at University of Teesside and a registered Forensic Practitioner in human contact traces (DNA and body fluids) and has been a forensic scientist for 16 years. She began her career with the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory and after moving to Lothian & Borders Police in 1993, Shirley worked as a reporting officer in general biology before becoming the head of the DNA section. Shirley has contributed to national working groups on DNA and the National DNA Database. She has served on the council of the Forensic Science Society since 2000 and was elected Honorary Secretary in 2002 and 2005. Shirley is also a Chartered Biologist and a Member of the Institute of Biology.

Niamh Nic Daéid (Honorary Editor)
Dr. Niamh Nic Daéid is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Forensic Science at Strathclyde University in Glasgow and has been involved in forensic science since 1994. She undertakes case work in the areas of fire investigation, drug analysis and evaluation of trace evidence as well as conducting training in these areas to undergraduate and postgraduate students. She also regularly provides professional training and development for practising forensic scientists particularly in fire investigation.

Niamh is active on a number of international and national organisations including being deputy chair of the European Network of Forensic Institutes (ENFSI) working group for fire investigation and being a lead assessor for CRFP in fire scene examination.

Matthew Hickson (Ordinary Member)
Having graduated from King’s College London in 2000, with an MSc in Forensic Science, I went on to become a Forensic Scientist and expert witness, specialising in the field of drugs of abuse. I am currently employed by LGC Forensics (formerly Forensic Alliance) in Culham, and have extensive experience in reporting all manner of complex drugs cases, including packaging comparisons. I am a registered forensic practitioner in the areas of Drugs and Marks specialties. After six years working in this field, I am now adding to my skills with DNA expertise. Although extremely dedicated to my career and the advancement of forensic science, I enjoy playing football, and am a keen, but unfortunately poor, coarse fisherman.

I am looking to bring a young, fresh, dynamic approach to the Forensic Science Society and to helping increase the Society’s status as a professional body. I am a professional member of the Society and would encourage all associate members to also apply for full membership. It is my aim to provide a conduit for younger members of the forensic community to have their voices heard at a national level. I want to help develop the professional status of the Society by encouraging more frequent, cheaper meetings, where young forensic scientists can forge links within the community, and to bring the focus back towards the science.

Ultimately, I want to be actively involved with the Council in facilitating change and continued improvement for the benefit of the Society and all of its members

Anya Hunt (Co-opted) Chair of Standards Committee
Dr Anya Hunt currently works in the business development team of LGC Forensics as Front Line Forensics Manager (organising and co-ordinating in-force intelligence led initiatives), based in Runcorn in Cheshire. She has been with LGC Forensics for 3 years and has worked in various roles. She graduated in 1991 from the University of Sheffield with a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and Maths then travelled north to Strathclyde where she completed an MSc in Forensic Science. This course was sponsored by the Forensic Explosive Laboratory FEL, which was at that time part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). She then spent 18 months at FEL before going back to University (UMIST) to carry out a PhD in Analytical Chemistry. In 1996 on completion of the PhD she spent time at the West Midlands Regional Toxicology Lab, The University of Strathclyde as a Lecturer in Forensic Science and at the Police Forensic Science Lab (Dundee) as a Team Leader. She has recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of Staffordshire and plans next year to study for the bar. She has been a member of the Forensic Society since 1991 and regularly attends its meetings. She is Chair of the Standards Committee, and an External Examiner at Sheffield Hallam University and a regular on the Royal Society of Chemistry Lecture circuit.

Shauna McCusker (Ordinary Member)
Shauna started her forensic career by studying MSc Forensic Science at the University of Strathclyde, graduating in November 2001. She spent the final four months of this course on placement in Forensic Science Northern Ireland, where she carried out research on the individualisation of blue and black polyester fibres (common in terrorist cases). Shauna has been a member of the Forensic Science Society since she was an MSc student in 2000, and she is now an affiliate member. She has become increasingly involved in the society in recent years as a link person, and was elected onto council in November 2007.

Shauna currently works for Canterbury Christ Church University as a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Investigation, where she teaches undergraduate students, police initial recruits and scenes of crime officers. She has developed a single honours BSc Forensic Investigation programme and is currently developing a framework of forensic MSc courses. In addition to her ‘day job’, Shauna is a Special Constable with the City of London Police, where she polices the square mile one evening per week, and has a specialist role within the Scientific Support Unit, which involves a range of activities, from scene attendance to training special constables in forensic awareness. She is also studying part time for a PhD in Forensic Entomology in collaboration with the Natural History Museum.

Anna-Marie O'Connor (Ordinary Member)
BSc (Hons), RFP
Anna-Marie O’Connor is a Senior Forensic Scientist for the Forensic Science Service in London, where she has worked since 1992. She reports body fluids and DNA in many case types and has given evidence on numerous cases including Low Copy Number DNA and Blood pattern analysis. Anna-Marie is a Registered Forensic Practitioner.

She has been a member of the Forensic Science Society since 1991 and served on council twice before (1996-99, 2000-03) as a member of the meetings committee. She has both convened several Society meetings and given a number of presentations.

Darren Phillips (Ordinary Member)
Darren graduated from Strathclyde University with his MSc in Forensic Science in the summer of 2000. His MSc thesis involved looking at the movement of fibres within cars using a helicopter as a wind source. This was carried out at Forensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI) in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. His first operational post was then as a forensic scientist with the Forensic Science Service specialising in the interpretation of DNA profiles at their Huntingdon laboratory. He then moved to Abingdon, Oxfordshire and worked for Forensic Alliance Ltd at their Culham laboratory for nearly 2 years. During his time with Alliance he worked as a forensic biologist and drug scientist. He was also briefly seconded to Orchid Cellmark at Culham to work in their speculative DNA section.

In late 2002, Darren took up a lectureship in Forensic Biology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. He was the lead person in the creation of the new Forensic Biology undergraduate degree programme on the Cambridge campus, becoming its Pathway Leader in 2004. He was also responsible for the creation of a new state of the art DNA analysis laboratory also on the Cambridge campus.

After a year as a senior lecturer in Forensic Biology at Kingston University in London, Darren took up a lectureship at the University of Abertay in Dundee in late 2007 where he continues to teach and undertake forensic biology research.

His teaching specialisms include the investigation of sexual offences, body fluid analysis, blood pattern analysis, the analysis of hairs and fibres and the application of DNA technology to forensic biology casework.

Darren has been a member of the Forensic Science Society since 1999 and has been a Society Link Person since 2003.

In 2005, Darren became a member of the Forensic Science Society Council and with it became the Society’s Link Co-Ordinator. This has involved liaising with the forensic providers and forensic institutions and promoting the Society to new members. Darren has also become heavily involved in the organisation and implementation of upcoming Society conferences both nationally and internationally.

This has been a very rewarding and enjoyable position for Darren and he is very keen to continue his role on Council, seeking to forge greater links between the forensic providers, police forces and academia.

Ann Priston (Ordinary Member)
Dr Ann Priston graduated in 1967 with joint honours degree in Biochemistry and Physiology and obtained a PhD Biochemistry in 1970. During her early career she worked on DNA synthesis in the Nobel Prize winning team at Kings College London under Maurice Wilkins; also in the medical laboratories of Hammersmith and Westminster Hospitals and at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. She joined the Metropolitan Police Laboratory (1970) as Biologist eventually specialising in textile fibres in cases of murder and armed robbery and holds 14 commendations from police, Judges and CPS for dedication, professionalism and presentation in Court. For 10 years she concentrated on cases involving PIRA activity on the mainland and was recently awarded a Commissioner's Commendation for her contribution to the investigation into terrorism on the Greek mainland over the last 30 years. Dr Priston also lectures on the Courts, criminal procedure and expert evidence on the MSc course at King's College, London and within the FSS. She was invested with the OBE, March 1998 and appointed to the bench at Richmond-upon-Thames Magistrates' Court in January 2004.

Richard Talbot (Ordinary Member)
After graduating Richard started his career at Forensic Alliance (now LGC Forensics) as a trainee forensic scientist. Whilst with Forensic Alliance he developed his skills and worked on a range of cases from assaults and sexual assaults to cold cases, whilst also undertaking training and mentoring of junior scientists.

Since July 2007 Richard has been employed by Cellmark Forensic Services as a Reporting Scientist. Here again he undertakes a wide range of casework and provides training and mentoring where required.

Following a motion raised by Pam Hamer at the 2005 AGM, Richard has played a huge part in forming and convening the Young Forensic Scientist Seminars. Two have been held to date, both have been very successful and more in the series are planned.

Richard has been a member of the Forensic Science Society since he was at university and soon became a professional member when the society’s professional status changed. Richard looks forward to becoming a member of council and actively promoting the society.