Opening the centre for forensic anthropology

The University's - and the UK's - first undergraduate course in forensic anthropology has been officially launched by Michael Portillo MP, a representative of the International Commission on Missing Persons.

The course will provide four years of study exploring essential human anatomy and specialised areas of bone study in a medico-legal context. It aims to teach students how to apply this knowledge to the investigation of the deceased with the ultimate aim of establishing their identity.

These skills are in high demand, both in this country to assist police with their investigations, and internationally, to assist with war crime investigations or issues of human rights. It is a subject that is also core to the successful identification of the victims of mass disasters, whether by terrorist activity, accident or natural origins.

Sue Black recently took up the post of Professor of Forensic Anthropology in the School of Life Sciences. She explained, "We are establishing a centre of excellence for forensic anthropology and other specialised areas of forensic research, development and training. We believe that this University's name will become synonymous with excellence in this critical field of study and training. Forensic anthropology is just the first subject that will be offered and it is anticipated that many other areas will be developed in time."

The University is set to change the face of forensic anthropology training in the UK and is now recruiting the first cohort of students who will commence their studies this autumn. The aim is to train the next generation of high quality professional practitioners and this is crucial for the judicial standing of the subject.

A variety of postgraduate courses in Human Identification are planned for the future, ensuring that the current cohort of students will have many options to continue their education into more specialised areas of human identification.

Michael Portillo was joined by Alan Kershaw from the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners who has been supportive of the need to provide quality dedicated forensic training. Representatives from the police and the Crown Office, with whom Sue and her colleagues have been working closely to plan and develop the courses, also attended the opening.