Forensic Chemistry

Program Overview

The Forensic Chemistry program applies chemical principles to forensic investigations, encompassing areas like drug identification, counterfeit detection, and contamination analysis. Students acquire hands-on skills in advanced analytical techniques and learn to modify and apply forensic methods. The program prepares graduates for careers in forensic laboratories, research, and the chemical industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Forensic Chemistry is the application of chemical knowledge to problems in the field of Forensic Science. The program covers a wide range of applications, including identification of illegal drugs and poisons, tracking down novel performance enhancing drugs, detecting counterfeit over the counter and prescription drugs, assessing claims of contaminated food or art fraud, and understanding how chemical signatures of illegal processes might be masked or hidden. The program aims to equip students with the skills to address issues in forensic science across all these areas. Students will gain hands-on experience using advanced instrumental analysis techniques and learn how to use advanced simulation and modelling software to understand how a chemical substance might be manufactured or masked. They will also learn how to modify current and emerging methods for application in the Forensic Sciences and how to communicate these methods and results in a legal context.

Objectives:

• Understand the underlying principles and concepts of forensic chemistry.
• Learn methods of forensic chemistry, including the processes involved in developing scientific knowledge.
• Develop skills to retrieve, analyse, synthesise and evaluate forensic information from a range of sources.
• Improve written and oral communication skills to convey scientific ideas, arguments and conclusions clearly and coherently.
• Apply scientific knowledge and skills with initiative and well-developed judgement to identify, analyse and generate solutions to unpredictable or complex forensic Chemistry problems.

Teaching:

• Students will learn from and interact with lecturers who have experience applying chemistry in a forensic context across a range of areas, including traditional forensic chemistry, namely illicit drugs, gunshot residues, fibres, glass, and other physical evidence, through to emerging forensic areas such as environmental pollution, food fraud and contamination, and pharmaceutical authentication.
• The curriculum content is research-inspired and industry-led, ensuring that students' knowledge is current and at the edge of innovative developments.
• The coursework is practical, hands-on, and competency-based, with access to advanced and industry-relevant analytical methods and instrumentation.

Careers:

• Government and commercial forensic and environment laboratories
• Laboratory Technician
• Clinical or Forensic Toxicologist
• Chemical Criminalist
• Drug Analyst
• Environmental Chemist

Other:

• The program is offered as a major within the Bachelor of Science (Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences) degree.
• The program requires a total of 24 credit points.
• The program includes units such as CHE103 Introduction to Forensic Science, CHE144 Foundations of Chemistry, CHE145 Introduction to Chemical Concepts, CHE207 Chemical Analysis, CHE205 Organic and Biological Chemistry I, CHE204 Forensic Chemistry I, BIO367 Forensic Toxicology, and BIO304 Forensic Chemistry II.