
The Society Research Scholarship, up to a maximum of £3,000 per annum, is offered to appropriately qualified candidates for a maximum period of 3 years for their research in various fields.
The Criteria:
The Scholarship is open to members* of the Society, who wish to undertake research based on scientific methods in one of the following areas: forensic science, criminal justice, forensic science policy and practice, forensic medicine or crime investigation based on scientific methods. Candidates should have a first or upper second class honours degree or have sufficient and relevant professional experience deemed acceptable to the Society.
The research must be carried out at an institute or organisation accepted by the Council of the Society and under the direction of a person approved by the Society.
The Award
The Scholarship will be awarded to a successful candidate(s) on an annual basis which may be extended to a maximum period of three years. Recipients of the Scholarship are required to prepare a final report of their work at the end of their research period to which the Scholarship applies. Award recipients are encouraged to publish their results Science & Justice, Interfaces, CSEye or as a poster/presentation at a Society conference. The financial support of the Society must be acknowledged in all publications and thesis arising from the funded research.
Application
Those wishing to apply for this Scholarship must submit the following documents: (full details on the application pack)
- A completed Research Scholarship application form
- A Personal Research Statement of not more than 2 A4 pages
- A case support statement of not more than 4 A4 pages
- A brief Curriculum Vitae of the principal applicant and research/professional experience track record (if appropriate)
- A Gantt chart illustrating milestones and deliverables of the proposed research (up to 1 A4 page)
- A detailed costing and justification of the funds requested (up to 1 A4 page)
- Contact details of two referees the Society may contact.
Download an Application Pack if you wish to apply.
Important dates
The closing date for the award is 31st of January every year. The Society may issue a second call for proposals in any given year as it deems fit.

are the kind sponsor for the award for best research paper submitted.
* Excludes Student members.
Award Recipients
Year |
Winner |
Paper title |
2020 |
Dan Bonsu |
Forensic Trace DNA recovery from metal and metal-coated surfaces |
2019 |
Lucinda Davenport |
Investigating the use of massively parallel sequencing for complex kinship analysis |
2018 |
Dr Athina Vidaki |
The ‘Five Cs’ of mitochondrial DNA: Cytosine modifications as novel epigenetic tags for estimating age in forensics |
2017 |
Sophie Hartless |
Critical Evaluation of DNA Recovery Methods for Forensic Purposes |
2016 |
Dr Kevin Farrugia |
The effect of mark enhancement techniques on the subsequent detection of blood |
2015 |
Dr Georgina Meakin |
An investigation into the optimal locations to recover 'wearer DNA' from clothing |
2014 |
Kimberley Bexon |
Forensic microRNA analysis of body fluids relating to sexual assaults |
2013 |
Dr Samuel Cadd |
An investigation into the chemical composition of fingerprints |
2012 |
Charlotte Orphanou |
The age and origin determination of biological material using RNA analysis |