John Doherty
John Doherty joined the Chemistry division of the Aldermaston Laboratory of the Forensic Science Service in 1990 and transferred to the drugs section in July 1995. Following the closure of the Aldermaston Laboratory in March 1997, he transferred to the Metropolitan Laboratory, where he reported drugs cases. He left the Forensic Science Service in December 1999 to join the drugs department at Forensic Alliance, where he reports the full range of drugs cases and specialises in the examination of plastic packaging materials. He has been a member of the Forensic Science Society since 1992.

David Hall
David Hall is currently employed as a Senior Forensic Chemist with Strathclyde Police Forensic Support Department. He joined the Strathclyde Laboratory in 1986 working within the Chemistry Section, where he gained experience both in the laboratory and at scenes of crime. He has appeared as an expert witness in the following areas: drugs, paint, glass, fires, marks, and RTA blood/urine analysis. In 1993 he took on responsibility for the, then newly acquired, scanning microscope. After establishing a business case for a firearm discharge residue (FDR) service he then went on to design the search areas and contamination management protocols in addition to the production of standard operating procedures. The service commenced at the beginning of 2000 and he has given evidence in this field. Apart from a general interest in all aspects of science, his main areas of interest lie in trace evidence, in particular: FDR, paint and glass. He has represented Strathclyde and the Scottish Laboratories at European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) meetings.

Niamh Nic Daéid
Niamh is currently a senior lecturer at the Forensic Science Unit at Strathclyde University. She has been involved in forensic science since 1994. Initially she spent a number of years developing and teaching training courses mainly in aspects of forensic chemistry, drug analysis and fire investigation in the UK and abroad in South East Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. She has lectured at various national and international conferences and training courses for Scientists, Police and Fire Brigade personnel and is a member of various national and international working groups including the European Fire and Explosion Working group, the European drugs working group and the organising the committee for the Interpol symposium on forensic science. She also develops teaching and training practices in different aspects of forensic science and is a member of the Council of Forensic Science Educators of the American Academy of Forensic Science. Niamh is authorised by the Secretary of State for Scotland and regularly undertakes casework in areas such as drug analysis and fire investigation.

Karen Stow (Chair of Meetings Committee)
After graduating from Strathclyde University in 1990 with a Masters Degree in Forensic Science, Karen became a senior chemist at an environmental consultancy. Two years later she became Head of the Scientific Services Laboratory of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Karen sits on a number of Police working groups including the Police Scientific Development Branch, Fingerprint Development and Imaging Group and the CRFP consultative group for Fingerprint Development Officers.

John Twibell
John Twibell joined the Central Research Establishment of the Home Office, Forensic Science Service in 1974, where his main research was into improving methods of detection of traces of explosives and fire accelerants. In 1982 he moved into forensic casework by transferring to the Huntingdon Forensic Laboratory. After a brief interlude in the firearms lab he became a general 'criminalistics' type caseworker but specialised in fire and explosion investigation and electrical matters, particularly electrical causes of fire, electrocutions and elecromurder. In 1995 he was asked by the FSS to start an evidential video caseworking system in conjunction with Greater Manchester Police, which became operational in 1996. In November 2000 he left the FSS to teach forensic science and develop short courses at Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge and to become a forensic consultant.

Allan Jamieson (Chair of Standards Committee)
Allan Jamieson is Director and Chief Executive of the Forensic Institute in Edinburgh and Honorary Fellow in Pathology at the University of Edinburgh. From 1995 he has been Head of Lothian & Borders Police Forensic Laboratory in Edinburgh and is a Director of Forensic Alliance. He is a Board Member of the University of Edinburgh Centre for Forensic Statistics and Legal Reasoning and holds the position of Chair of the United Kingdom Forensic Toxicology Forum as well as that of the Professional Affairs Committee of the Scottish Branch IoB.

Shirley Thomson (Honorary Secretary)
Shirley has been a Forensic Biologist for twelve years, initially at the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Lab and currently with Lothian and Borders Police Forensic Science Laboratory in Edinburgh where she manages the DNA service. She also acts as a personnel and training adviser and is on call for major crime scenes.

Alexander R W Forrest (Editor)
Editor of the journal for the last three years, Professor of Forensic Toxicology at The University of Sheffield. Assistant Deputy Coroner, South Yorkshire (West). Formerly Honorary Secretary to the Society.

Roger Berrett (Vice President)
Roger Berrett has been a practising forensic scientist for 35 years, formerly a Principal Scientist at the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory, (Scotland Yard) and, since 1988, exclusively specialising in fire investigation and related matters. Currently a Consultant in fire investigation to a number of Companies, Individuals, Lawyers and Police Organisations. Investigated approximately 800 fires in the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Jersey, Kuwait, Pakistan and Spain and lectured on the subject at various national and international conferences and training courses for Scientists, Police and Fire Brigade personnel. A founder member of the 'Fire and Explosion Investigation Working Group' of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes.

Jim Fraser (president)
Jim Fraser is a forensic scientist with over 25 years experience. He has acted as an expert witness in a number of high profile cases such as Robert Black, the serial child killer and Michael Stone, who was convicted of murdering Lyn and Megan Russell in rural Kent. He has also carried out forensic consultancy work in notable cases such as Steven Downing, who was accused of murdering Wendy Sewell in a Derbyshire graveyard. Jim has also carried out management consultancy, particularly in relation to forensic matters, for a range of organisations including a number of UK police forces and the Home Office. He is active on a number on national and international committees such as the National DNA Database Board and the International Association of Forensic Sciences. He has also lectured and published on a range of forensic science issues.

Phil Jones
Phil joined the Forensic Science Service in 1968 at the Preston Laboratory, which then moved to Chorley in 1970. He worked as a reporting officer for some 19 years in marks and particulates including firearms discharge residues. He also specialized in fire investigation and through the late 80s was service-wide co-ordinator for intelligence on the Welsh extremist terrorist devices. From his early years in forensic science he has taken a great interest in forensic interpretation. This has remained with him to the present day and he has been fortunate enough to have been joint author of several papers on the subject.

In 1990, as part of the transition of the Forensic Science Service to an Executive Agency, he took on a role which involved helping police forces with the introduction of direct charging and to maximise the contribution of forensic science. He subsequently became an Account Manager in the North West. During the six years that he worked with the police forces, he gained considerable knowledge of how they operate, their problems and how forensic science could help. In 1996 he became National Business Area Manager (Customer Facing) for Volume Crime and then General Manager at the Forensic Science Service Wetherby site in 1998 before taking up his current role of Customer Services Director in late 1999.

Colin Ratcliff (Honorary Treasurer)
Colin is currently Joint Head of Scenes of Crime in Thames Valley Police, a post held for over two years. He joined the police in 1975 and has worked in the Scenes of Crime Department for over 16 years. During that time he has gained extensive experience in all aspects of Scientific Support. He has been involved in many major crime investigations across a range of incidents including the Hungerford Shootings and other multiple suspicious deaths. He has also assisted other police forces with investigations and reviews.

He holds the Durham University Diploma in Crime Scene Examination and achieved distinction in the Society's Diploma in Crime Scene Investigation. He has been a member of the Fingerprint Society for several years and a member of the Forensic Science Society for seven years.

Angela MC Gallop
Angela has been a practising forensic scientist for 25 years and formerly a senior scientist with the Home Office Forensic Science Service. She established the independent forensic science consultancy, Forensic Access, in 1986 - now the largest and most influential practice of its kind in the country. Co-founder (1997) and currently Operations Director of Forensic Alliance Limited, the first non-government organisation to provide forensic science services across the board to police. Angela is an elected member of the Governing Council of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners and has represented independent forensic science to various Government committees in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and in the private deliberations of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice.

Invited speaker to numerous scientific, legal and lay audiences, and author of many articles commenting especially on the nature of forensic science, the absence of standards in the professional and the consequences of this for the criminal justice system.