FIRN MANAGEMENT BOARD

The Forensic Institute Research Network is managed by a Board drawn from the members of FIRN. The Board’s role is to provide strategic direction to FIRN, coordinate its numerous projects, and occassionally to act on behalf of the membership.

• Dr John P Cassella, Staffordshire University (Meetings & Conferences)
• Dr Paul Chin, Higher Education Academy (FORREST)
• Professor Mike Cole, Anglia Polytechnic University (Research/Journal)
• Dr Andrew Jackson, Staffordshire University (Research/Databases)
• Professor Allan Jamieson, The Forensic Institute (Chair)
• Mr Kevin Lawton-Barrett, Canterbury Christ Church University College (Information/Education)
• Dr Andrew Morrisson, Robert Gordon University (Research/Conferences)
• Dr Paula Smith, Napier University (Research/Journal)

• Dr Paula JW Smith, BSc PhD ILTM School of Life Sciences, Napier University I obtained my BSc and PhD degrees (both in Pharmacology) at the University of Edinburgh, and then was the recipient of a Wellcome Trust Travelling Fellowship which took me to the University of Toronto, Canada, for two years. My research in the 1990s was focussed on the cardiovascular system, particularly the vasospastic condition, Raynaud’s disease, and the influence of female sex hormones on the vascular endothelium. On my return to Edinburgh, I took up a research post at the Division of Neuroscience in 2000, investigating the role of perivascular sensory nerves in cardio-respiratory regulation. It was during my time at the Division that I developed an interest in diabetic neuropathy, and my current research aims to examine the roles of neuronal receptor signalling and neuropoietic cytokines in the development and progression of diabetic neuropathy. I joined the School of Life Sciences at Napier University in 2003 with a Lectureship in Biomedical Sciences/Toxicology, and I am presently devising a module in Forensic Toxicology as part of the new Forensic Biology degree course at Napier. I am a member of The British Pharmacological Society, The Physiological Society and the Higher Education Academy, and am an Honorary Fellow of the School of Biomedical & Clinical Laboratory Sciences , University of Edinburgh. In October 2004, I became a Board Member of the Forensic Institute Research Network, and have been working with colleagues on the launch of the Journal of the Forensic Institute.

• Dr Raul Sutton, Wolverhampton University (FIRN Networks and communication)

The Board minutes are published on this website. You are welcome to send comments and ideas to the Board. If you would like to serve for a period on the Board, then please let us know.

To become a member of FIRN you must be an academic, practitioner, or postgraduate student with a legitimate interest in forensic science research or teaching.