Forensic and Applied Biology BSc (Hons)

Kate Unwin

Kate has been a Forensic Biologist since February 2002 and has worked in this area and role since that time, first with the Forensic Science Service as a Reporting Officer and then with Cellmark Forensic Services (to date).

During Kate's time as a Forensic Scientist she has worked on hundreds of criminal cases, including offences such as sexual offences, serious assaults, murder, burglary, fraud and hit and run. Throughout Kate's time as a Forensic Scientist she has examined evidence, both within a laboratory environment and at scenes of crimes. Kate has been classified as an expert witness and her areas of expertise include body fluid evidence, damage assessment and DNA profiling. Kate has given evidence in both Crown and Magistrates courts (her first court appearance being at the Old Bailey!).

Kate has worked alongside the Police, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), Defence Scientists, CSI (Crime Scene Investigators) and a wide range of specialists and world leaders in the field of Forensic Science.

Kate is currently involved in training and awareness sessions for three local police forces.

During Kate's time at the University of Worcester she have used her extensive case work experience to develop a course which gives students a true insight into the world of Forensic Science. Furthermore, the course is enhanced by the use of real case examples and Kate has a passion for enabling students to carry out as much practical work as possible to enhance the theory delivered on the course and maximize their employability opportunities.

Hannah Allen

Since graduating from University Hannah has worked within the policing arena. She started her career as a Crime Analyst with the Metropolitan Police Service but quickly moved into Forensic Services, with her last position before joining the University of Worcester in 2022, being the Crime Scene Investigation Technical Manager for West Mercia Police.

She has worked on thousands of crime scenes – both for volume and major crime investigations. She is a Crime Scene Manager and Crime Scene Co-ordinator. Early in her career Hannah also spent time working for the Forensic Science Service, completing scene examinations nationwide for Serious and Organised Crime Investigations conducted by the then National Crime Squad.

Hannah has attended and given evidence in Court and has expensive practical and theoretical experience of all aspects of Crime Scene Investigation, development of Crime Scene Investigators and the requirements for Accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025 and 17020.

Keith Unwin

I first became a Forensic scientist in 2000, shortly after I graduated with honours in Applied Biology from Newcastle University. Since that time I have worked for two of the largest Forensic providers in the country. During my time as a court going Reporting officer, I have been involved in many high profile investigation and scenes. I have also been involved in the training of Forensic scientists and police officers in areas of scene examination and court reporting.

In 2011 I became a lecturer at the University of Worcester alongside my role as a Forensic scientist. I found that enjoyed it and that I got great satisfaction from seeing students develop, learn and grow through the three year course and go on to become scientific professionals in their own rights.

Joe Butler

Joe has worked in the forensic sector for over 7 years. He started his career looking at biological evidence types as an examiner working on many high profile cases. Joe used this experience for his final year project at the University of Worcester and to move laterally into working in the drugs department.

Within the drugs department, Joe was fast tracked to become a reporting officer writing evidential statements, as well as attending scenes and court. Joe now works in compliance to ensure policies are being carried out in the forensic sector. He has started his PhD focusing on DNA on drugs wrappings and paraphernalia.

Dr Mike Wheeler

Dr Mike Wheeler is Head of Biological Sciences.

Mike joined the University of Worcester in 2010 after researching in the area of plant molecular genetics. Mike developed a strong background in the biology of cell signalling in plants, with specific research into the mechanisms of self-incompatibility in poppy and the control of polarity in pollen tubes of tobacco. He is currently investigating the function of a large family of secreted proteins likely to be involved in cell-cell communication in the model plants, Arabidopsis thaliana and Physcomitrella patens.

In addition to his research into plant molecular genetics Mike is also developing means of using molecular biology to solve problems in conservation biology which is a longstanding passion of his. In this area Mike is currently developing eDNA (environmental DNA) techniques to assess the effect of invasive and non-native species on species of conservation concern. Mike is also currently involved in a scheme to improve winter feeding for farmland birds at Lakeside campus in partnership with the local RSPB group.

Mike is a member of the Sustainable Environments Research Group.

Dr Beverley Adams-Groom

Beverley is a leading expert in pollen forecasting and provides the UK and Ireland with forecasts for all the main airborne allergens, aided by colleagues in the pollen forecast team, and working in association with the UK Met Office. The main discipline for this work is Aerobiology, which is the study of the production, emission and dispersal of biological particles (bioaerosols).

Beverley is also involved in the field of Palynology, which is the study of microscopic biological particles (mainly pollen and spore identification). She applies this in the quality assurance of honeys for the UKs honey companies and analysts. This is a form of forensic work, involving identification of pollen extracted from honey of various countries to ensure the origin and floral composition. Beverley has also worked extensively on crime cases, applying palynology to produce evidence of links between suspect and crime scene.

Dr Kate Ashbrook

Kate's background includes four years of post-doctoral studies at the University of Bath and a period as a field researcher for the Canadian Wildlife Service where she contributed to long-term monitoring of a seabird colony in Nunavut, Canada.

Her research interests focus on using modelling to understand the dynamics of ecological systems and inform conservation management.

Dr Steven J Coles

Steve joined the University of Worcester in 2013, following 5 years post-doctoral experience at Cardiff University, School of Medicine (Section of Haematology), working with Professors Tonks and Darley. During his time at Cardiff, Steve investigated the role of the immune checkpoint molecule, CD200, in a type of blood cancer known as acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Since joining us, Steve has introduced several new modules to the Biological and Biomedical Sciences curriculum that align with his expertise, including: Immunology and  Biochemistry of Cancer.

Steve has also helped to establish and lead the Worcester Biomedical Research Group, where the research focuses on Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Cardiovascular Disease.

Dr Ray Camilleri

Ray is the Course Leader of our BSc Biomedical Science course.

Ray joined the academic staff at the University of Worcester in September 2017 as a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences. This followed six and a half years as Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Westminster and eleven years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Haemostasis Research Unit at University College London.

Ray’s research interests have been on various genetic and molecular biological aspects of several haematological disorders, but most recently has been focussed on the genetic and phenotypic links between von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).

Ray also has ten years’ experience as an Admissions Tutor and is a member of the Worcester Biomedical Research Group. 

Dr Amy Cherry

Dr Amy Cherry joined the University of Worcester following postdoctoral positions at the National Institute of Medical Research and the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. Her research focuses on understanding how proteins work at the molecular level and on how one can use knowledge of protein structure to tackle disease.

Dr Rob Herbert

Dr Rob Herbert is the quality co-ordinator for the School of Science and the Environment and a Principal Lecturer in Biology.

Rob has been with the University since 1992 and leads the Cell Biology module in year 1 and the Research Project module in year 3, both of which are taken by students on all of the courses in the department of Biological Sciences.  He has a background in plant cell biology, specifically flowering and the plant cell cycle and has, more recently, begun to look at problems with crop plants such as post-harvest storage, senescence and susceptibility to disease. He has a long standing research collaboration with Cardiff University.  His last three papers covered the expression of cell cycle gene WEE1 from Arabidopsis thaliana in tobacco, an analysis of volatile and molecular markers in melon to identify potential makers for food quality assessment and the effect of post-harvest stress on volatile organic compounds in early post-harvest senescence in salad rocket. It is unexpected to find a rocket scientist in a Biology department.

Rob is a member of the Sustainable Environments Research Group.