LaTara Rust

LaTara Rust holds a B.Sc. of Forensic Biology in Biomedical Science and a B.Sc. (Hons) of Forensic Science in Applied Chemistry, which she completed at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in Australia. She is currently in the final year of her Ph.D. as a student in the Centre of Forensic Science at UTS. As a student of Prof. Shari Forbes, she has had unique opportunities to work hands on at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (or AFTER), as well as collaborate with several Australian organisations. Her research involves using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) to investigate the chemical odour profile produced from fresh and aged human blood under various conditions in order to correlate the odour profile with cadaver-detection dog and blood-detection dog behavioural responses. LaTara has research interests in volatile odour profiling of biological matrices and novel analytical techniques for headspace analyses of forensic samples.