£10 Million for Forensic Science Research in Dundee
A Scottish university has been handed a £10 million award to establish a new research centre for forensic science.
A Scottish university has been handed a £10 million award to establish a new research centre for forensic science.
The cash injection for the University of Dundee is from the Leverhulme Trust, a major funder of research in the UK.
The university said the award builds on its international reputation as a centre of excellence in the field of forensic science. The centre will be led by Professor Sue Black, director of the university's centre for anatomy and human identification.
She said: I am delighted that the Leverhulme Trust has decided to make such a major investment in our work here at Dundee.
This really is recognition of our standing as one of the world's leading centres for research in forensic science.''
Prof Black said the new Leverhulme Centre for Forensic Science would help address the crisis'' currently facing the subject.
Forensic science is a highly valued component of the criminal justice system but it is widely recognised to be in crisis,'' she said.
We have research gaps in a range of evidence types, from fingerprinting to DNA analysis, and we have to raise the bar in the standards of science underpinning these vital techniques.
We will work across the forensic science and judicial landscapes and communities to address the existing research gaps, unlock enterprise potential with industry to encourage emerging opportunities and restore public and judicial confidence in forensic science.''
Dundee said it is one of four UK universities - alongside Cambridge, Liverpool and Sheffield - to win the new awards, supporting research across a range of subjects.
The funding is designed to encourage original research which would establish or reshape a significant field of study and transform understanding of an important topic.
Professor Gordon Marshall, director of the trust, said: The new Leverhulme Trust centres are a major investment in discovery-led research at a time when funding for scholarly inquiry is under great pressure.
They are our vote of confidence in the quality of the UK's outstanding researchers at every level. Each centre will embrace multi-disciplinary and international collaborations designed to bring the highest calibre of expertise to bear on these exciting areas of inquiry.''