Trust in Forensic Science Evidence in the Criminal Justice System: The Experience of Marginalised Groups

Project Description: The project explores key touchpoints and influences where (dis)trust in forensic science evidence arises amongst marginalized communities, to better inform how, when, and why such evidence is (and should be) employed within criminal justice system procedures.

Contribution: As the Co-Lead for Work Package 2 (Design Definition); I oversee responsibility for leading external collaborations with criminal justice system stakeholders to uncover pain points and user needs (e.g., forensic scientists, law enforcement, crown prosecution service, judiciary, charities, government, policymakers). As the Lead for Work Package 4 (Design Delivery); I am additionally responsible for overseeing the co-design of an interactive online design tool, prototyping, and refining through ongoing user testing with CJS users. I also co-supervise the project’s two Postdoctoral Research Assistants (PDRAs).

Outputs have thus far included: a project website, a project launch report (published by The Open University, June 2024); mid-project stakeholder event report (published by University College London, February 2025); various national and international conference presentations (to The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, October 2024, and The European Academy of Forensic Sciences, May 2025), articles in peer-reviewed journals (in preparation), a series of design artefacts/prototypes (in preparation), and an end-of-project event presenting recommendations at the UK House of Lords (November 2025).