Among the awardees were Forensic Pathologist Roger Byard, who was awarded the Justice Ted Mullighan Outstanding Case Award for his work in the Jasmeen Kaur murder case. Roger was able to demonstrate through pathological findings the cause and manner of her death, after which the accused entered a guilty plea.
Dr Duncan Taylor and Dr Damien Abarno were awarded the Professor Hilton Kobus Research Award for their published research paper titled, “A lights-out forensic DNA analysis workflow for no-suspect crime”, which provides a proof-of-concept for using automated DNA profile reading to improve efficiency of the no-suspect workflow.
The Toxicology group also won a special award for their work in keeping up with New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) that are continually emerging. Their development of sophisticated analytical techniques and local information sharing networks resulted in the detection and early warning of protonitazene, a potent new opioid, in the SA community in 2023.
Ian Beckwith won the Foundation Award for his focus on continual improvement both in Chemistry and broadly across Forensic Science SA, while Stephen Trobbiani was awarded the Customer Service/Public Relations Award for his development of an automated workflow for coronial toxicology cases.
As put by Kyam Maher
Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Forensic Science SA awards. It was a delight to attend the awards ceremony and hear about the ground-breaking projects and innovative techniques.
Forensic Science SA play a vital role in keeping the South Australian community safe and these awards acknowledge that important work.
We want Forensic Science SA to continue to attract and keep some of the best minds in the business. That’s why as part of this year’s State Budget, our Government has invested in new facilities for Forensic Science SA.
Nearly $350 million will go towards establishing new, state-of-the-art facilities that will help Forensic Science SA staff continue their important work. It will be a modern facility where nation-leading research will take place and keep SA at the forefront of the field.
As put by Forensic Science SA Director, John Doherty
I am proud to be the Director of Forensic Science SA where every day I am inspired by the dedication and excellence of services delivered by our forensic scientists and support staff.
Those receiving awards have demonstrated going above and beyond to ensure the effectiveness of forensic science and its contribution to our community safety.
Congratulations to all award winners and nominees. All staff at Forensic Science SA whether receiving an award or not, contribute every day to great outcomes in support of keeping our community safe.
