Honorary

I have been conducting research on forensic taphonomy and decomposition chemistry for more than 20 years. During that time, I have had the opportunity to establish distinct research facilities and investigate the processes of decomposition in two extreme climates, namely Canada and Australia. I continue to collaborate with these and other human taphonomy facilities to advance our understanding of forensic taphonomic processes in unique environments.

I was the founding Director of REST[ES] which officially opened at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières (UQTR) in 2020. REST[ES] represents Canada’s first human taphonomy facility whereby people can donate their bodies to forensic science research. The facility was built through my Canada 150 Research Chair and Canada Foundation for Innovation research funding. The objective of the facility is to improve our understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological processes of human decomposition to assist death investigations. The facility encourages collaborative research in a range of disciplines under the banner of forensic thanatology (taphonomy) including: forensic chemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, geology, soil science, geophysics, geochemistry, ecology, entomology, pathology, odontology, anthropology, archaeology, remote sensing, and biometrics. REST[ES] is used for research and teaching, as well as for providing training to police, forensic scientists, and search and rescue teams. Research at the facility helps to improve the methods used to search for, locate, recover and identify missing persons, victims of homicide, and victims of mass disaster.

I was the founding Director of AFTER which officially opened at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 2016. At the time, it was the only human taphonomy facility located outside the USA and it still represents the only facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The facility was built through successful Australian Research Council funding in collaboration with academic, police and forensic agency partners. AFTER is a part of the UTS Centre for Forensic Science, and the Surgical and Anatomical Sciences Facility. It has continued to grow and now counts the following organisations among its research and training partners: University of Wollongong, University of Sydney, Australian National University, University of Canberra, University of New England, Western Sydney University, Central Queensland University, Australian Federal Police, ANSTO, Victoria Police, NSW Police, NSW Health Pathology, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Defence Science and Technology, and Rookwood Cemetery.

Photo credit: Anna Zhu

I created the original facility in 2007 with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation program to support my Tier II Canada Research Chair in Decomposition Chemistry at Ontario Tech University (formerly the University of Ontario Institute of Technology). The facility is dedicated to conducting decomposition experiments in a realistic outdoor environment. It is located on university land close to the campus and allows researchers to use analogues (i.e. porcine remains) to study human decomposition processes.

The facility is used year-round to investigate the effect of seasonal temperature fluctuations on decomposition and to measure inter- and intra-year variation. We conducted studies to investigate the effect of environmental parameters (e.g. temperature, moisture, soil and vegetation type) and other taphonomic agents (e.g. insect and scavenging activity) on the decomposition processes. Today, it is predominantly used for forensic ecology research.