Opening Lecture
-
Dr. Simona Francese
Dr Francese holds a degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Chemical Sciences. She is an expert in the development of MALDI MS Imaging applications and has pioneered its development for the analysis of latent fingermarks to profile the offender. At Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), she is Reader since 2014. Leader of the Fingermark Research Group (FRG), her research is partly funded by the Home Office, UK, and actively collaborates with West Yorkshire Police to test the technology at crime scenes. She is one of the 40 members of the International FRG and a core member of the Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence & Organised Crime Research.
Chemical criminal profiling using Matrix assisted Laser desorption Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Simona Francese
Reader in Bioscience and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University
​
Since 2008, the Fingermark Research Group at Sheffield Hallam University has been developing novel Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry profiling and imaging methodologies to recover additional intelligence from fingermarks. Lifestyle, personal and activity information prior to accidental mark deposition, have given rise to a "new type of criminal profiling" based no longer on behavioral science but on chemistry. This intelligence potentially narrows the pool of suspects, provides investigative leads and informs judicial debates and crucial collaborations, mainly with the Home Office' CAST and West Yorkshire Police have been established. The technology is now being trialed on crime scene marks, with the view of integrating it into forensic fingermark examination workflows. Various tandem analytical workflows have been developed, showing that additional physical and chemical information (such as illicit drugs, blood and other excreted substances) can be retrieved following initial fingermark development, thus indicating operational feasibility of the proposed methodologies.
Forensic Mass Spectrometry
The aims of Forensic Mass Spectrometry Verona 2016, are to exchange scientific and technical information and to promote research, improve practice, and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among the different areas of forensic science (forensic pathology, toxicology, genetics, criminalistics etc) based on the most advanced analytical technology.​