Professor Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome will discuss the development of the discipline of forensic anthropology in the UK and how it is currently employed in both national and international deployments. Sue will give a brief overview of her own journey through her career experiences but will focus on providing advice for young people who are considering the world of forensic science as their future career.

Sue Black was the lead forensic anthropologist for the UK response to war crimes investigations in Kosovo and has also served in Sierra Leone, Grenada, Iraq and in Thailand following the Asian tsunami. She has been awarded two police commendations for her work in Disaster Victim Identification training and also for helping to secure convictions against perpetrators of child sexual abuse. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday honours for services to Higher Education and Forensic Science in 2016 and entered the House of Lords as a crossbencher peer as Baroness Black of Strome in 2021. She is also a recipient of the Fletcher of Saltoun award for her contribution to Scottish Culture, the Jephcott gold medal for scientific advancement, the Lucy Mair medal for humanitarian assistance, and the Outstanding Women of Scotland award.