Dr. Shari L. Forbes is a Professor and Program Chair of Forensic Sciences at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. She is an advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) and has a deep commitment to the implementation of EDI values in academia. She has encouraged young adults to become engaged in science through her roles as an Ambassador for the Sydney Science Festival, the National Youth Science Forum, and Science Rendezvous.
From 2018-2023, Dr. Forbes was the founding Director of the first human taphonomy facility in Canada for Research in Experimental and Social Thanatology/Recherche en Sciences Thanatologiques [Expérimentales et Sociales], also referred to as REST[ES]. She also held the Canada 150 Research Chair in Forensic Thanatology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. From 2012-2018, she was an Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. She established and directed the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER), the first human taphonomy facility in Australia and still the only such facility in the southern hemisphere. Prior to this, she was the founding Director of the Forensic Science program (2005-2012) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology where she held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Decomposition Chemistry (2007-2012).
Dr. Forbes’ research investigates the chemical processes that occur in soft tissue decomposition. Her research aims to increase the knowledge base relating to decomposition chemistry to identify an accurate biochemical signature for estimating time since death. She has studied these processes in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments throughout Canada, Australia and the USA. Her current research focuses on identifying an accurate chemical profile of decomposition odour using advanced chemical instrumentation. Her research assists police canine units to enhance their training protocols for cadaver-detection dogs deployed to forensic and mass disaster investigations. Her expertise is regularly requested to assist police with locating and recovering buried or concealed evidence, including human remains, drugs, explosives, weapons, and currency.
Dr. Forbes’ research has been funded by international organisations, including the Canada Research Chair (CRC) Program, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, Australian Research Council (ARC), and the Canadian Police Research Centre.
Her contributions to forensic science and chemistry have been recognized through numerous awards, including: the Analytical Scientist’s Power List 2016 – Top 50 Women in Analytical Science; as a Team Finalist of the Defence Science and Technology Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia (2018); the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence (2011); and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation – Early Researcher Award (2011). Recently, she was recognised by Mendeley Data (Elsevier) in the top 2% of the most cited experts in their scientific discipline.
Dr. Forbes is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales. She is an invited member of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences, as well as being an active member of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science and the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society.
Dr. Forbes completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Chemistry and Forensic Science and a PhD (specialisation in Forensic Chemistry) at the University of Technology Sydney. She completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Forensic Science, University of Western Australia.