Read Zoology at Edinburgh University 1980-84. Doctorate in molecular genetics from Sussex University (1988) followed by post-doctoral fellowships. Lecturer at the Centre for Forensic Science Strathclyde University (1994-2010) before taking up Chair in Forensic Science at Flinders University, South Australia.
I took up the Chair in Forensic Science supported by the Ministry of Justice, South Australia, with the role of developing new technologies in the field of DNA typing.
I have published over 90 publications in international peer reviewed journals. In addition I and am co-author of the text 'An Introduction to Forensic Genetics' and editor of book 'Forensic Science in Wildlife Investigations'. I am an Associate Editor of Forensic Science International Genetics and on the editorial board of the journal Investigative Genetics.