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Thesis Title
Establishing a systematic and globally expandable approach to the documentation of animal bite marks through the development of a database of animal dentitions, both domestic and wild in and around Australia.
Abstract
There is scant evidence-based literature regarding bite marks; especially bite marks either from domestic or wild animals for use as a reference system for court cases involving bite marks.There may be instances where animals in the wild have scavenged upon a corpse lying around and the bites created by them may well be mistaken for a human bite mark (when distortions are present) or bite marks may be over seen as marks from scavenging animals. Bites from pet animals in and around residential places may be misleading as there may not be enough evidence to support one particular animal as the attacker. Hence it is always necessary to have a data base of bite marks from animals.
Supervisors
Associate Professor Roberta Julian (TILES, School of Social Sciences, UTAS)
Associate Professor Leigh Blizzard (Principal Research Fellow, Menzies Research Institute Tasmania)
W/Prof Marc Tennant (Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health)
Biography and Research Background
I have a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree with two years of clinical practice In India before moving to Perth in 2008 to pursue my Masters in Forensic Sciences(Odontology). My dissertation title was: A Review of Bite Mark Analysis, Methods And Their Applications in Forensic Odontology. While I was applying for scholarships towards my PhD, I had been simultaneously working on Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) using dental evidence while I worked at the Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health (CRROH) as a research associate. I, along with Prof Marc Tennant, have worked for two years on the project and have made substantial research in preparing a mathematical formula that could be used in identifying victims where in the whole dentition is not available for identification and am still currently employed as a honorary researcher at the CRROH.
Memberships
- Member of the Australian Society of Forensic Odontology
- Member of the Australasian Society of Public Health Dentistry
- Affiliate Trainee member of American Academy of Forensic Sciences
- Member of the ANZFSS
Publications
- Bite-marks: Understanding the role of general practitioners in forensic
identification (JIOH)
- Photographic imaging distortion and its effects on forensic bite mark analysis (JOAOR)
- Disaster Victim Identification:Dental Evidence and the Forensic Odontologist (Submitted)
Workshops attended
Plassdata for DVI (Australian Society of Forensic Odontology Symposium Darwin)
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