Leicester centre aims to expand body of evidence

Leicester University is building on its world-class record in forensic science with the launch this week of a new multidisciplinary forensic research centre, which is expected to help recruit academics from a wide range of disciplines.

In the coming months, the centre looks set to become a recruitment hot spot for academics working in criminology, forensic pathology, chemistry, engineering, genetics, law, health sciences and psychology, said its co-ordinator Emma Palmer, a senior lecturer in forensic psychology.

Some recruits may be enticed by Leicester's "new-blood" recruitment drive, which is seeking 12 candidates for Grade 8 lecturer posts who have the potential to become future research leaders.

Dr Palmer said new-blood recruits could well be attracted to the cross-disciplinary work. "Many questions relating to crime can best be answered using a multidisciplinary approach. For example, some of my research on how to stop offenders re-offending involves work by a team comprising criminologists, psychologists and economists," she said.