• Question: What are your thoughts on forensic scientists?

    Asked by Scientist123 on 4 Nov 2024.
    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 4 Nov 2024:

      It’s a important job and requires lots of specialist training. I doubt if it is as exciting as portrayed on TV.

    • Photo: Ruth Pegington

      Ruth Pegington answered on 5 Nov 2024:

      I think forensic scientists are very talented individuals and do a great job. I agree with Martin, I don’t think it’s as exciting as it seems on TV… 🙂

Comments

  • Photo: Andrew M

    Andrew M commented on :

    Sadlly there’s far more people trained in forensic science than there are jobs for forensic scientists, but I’ve worked with a couple who have found jobs in other scientific roles. Those I’ve worked with have been great lab scientists with strong focusses on quality, consistency, repeatability and understanding measurement error. These are all characteristics that I could understand would make for a good forensic scientist, and which make for great applied chemists, but which I’ve felt with hindsight were under-taught in my chemistry degree (there’s only so much time available).
    What I don’t know is if they picked these traits up in their degree, or whether they were just naturally particular. Did forensic science shape them? Or did they find a niche that fitted their shape?

  • Photo: martinmcmahon

    martinmcmahon commented on :

    Things for forensic scientists get exciting when there’s a high profile case, but most of the time it’s very mundane work. I was working in this field at the time that a famous TV presenter was shot and murdered, and this was quite exciting work to come into contact with. But other work can simply involve proving someone had used the indicator light on their car before turning a corner and being involved in a collision, or checking if something has been faked like milk powder.