Innovation and Research
The University of Leicester has developed strong multidisciplinary research and innovation in a number of key areas related to forensic science. Much of this work is led by academics who have international reputations in their field.
The Alec Jeffreys Forensic Science Institute can provide you with access to these resources, which include expertise in social as well as natural sciences.
Recent areas of innovation include:
- Classification of stab injuries (Department of Engineering)
- Novel methods of fingerprint enhancement (Department of Chemistry)
- Defining emerging crime types such as car key burglary (Department of Criminology)
The Smell of Crime
Can the distinctive odour of putrefaction be used as a tool for forensic science? This video shows the end of a two-month experiment to investigate the chemical species given out during the decay of a small piglet. A specially sealed and environmentally controlled tomb was used to follow the dynamic succession of volatile organic compounds from putrefaction process.
The excavation of the piglet was undertaken by colleagues from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History and used as a demonstration of excavation methods used with buried corpses.
Our research has received international recognition and has provided law enforcement agencies with new and improved methods of solving and preventing crime.
For further information contact us at forensicscience@le.ac.uk
