The aim of my Winston Churchill Fellowship was to learn more about forensic entomology by meeting leading experts in the USA and Canada. I aimed to achieve this by establishing contacts with American and Canadian forensic entomologists, travelling to research institutes and universities, work shadowing, completing a research project and giving presentations. I would potentially apply the knowledge and experience gained to further develop forensic entomology within the UK.

I saw the Winston Churchill Fellowships advertised in the newsletter of the Forensic Science Society, and immediately thought that this could be an ideal opportunity to combine my interest in entomology (the study of insects) and forensic science.

I decided upon an initial itinerary and began to make contacts with forensic entomologists in the USA and Canada. I had selected this part of the world as it had the highest concentration of forensic entomologists and there was an interesting range of opportunities available.

I completed the necessary forms, obtained permission from my employer and waited nervously for a response. I knew competition would be tough, but fortunately I was short listed and passed the panel interview. I was very pleased to have reached this stage and I was now free to plan my itinerary, book flights and accommodation and hire cars.

Prior planning and organisation was the key to a successful fellowship and I was pleased about the way my arrangements began to fall into place. There was a fair amount of flying involved and I was on a tight schedule, as it was all based on the availability of the forensic entomologists I was going to meet.

Once the flights had been booked, contacts made and visits arranged I knew that this Fellowship was going to offer me the chance to gain a real insight into forensic entomology.

I am a forensic scientist, specializing in the examination of biological evidence, which includes the identification of body fluid staining and the interpretation of DNA profiling results.

I produce statements for court and I am trained as an expert witness.

Prior to this, I trained and worked as an applied entomologist for over eight years. I studied for a PhD at the University of Birmingham on the effects of temperature on the growth and development of hoverflies in the UK. I continued my research at the University during a post-doctoral research fellowship on the biological control of insect pests, before becoming a Research Leader in applied entomology at Horticulture Research International.

I had twelve scientific papers published on my scientific research during my academic career. I am working towards combining my training as an entomologist with my role as a forensic scientist in the form of forensic entomology.

Forensic entomology is the interpretation of insect evidence to help in criminal investigations. It involves the study of the biology, behaviour and distribution of insects at a crime scene, which can give information on when, where and how a crime was committed. The key aspect of forensic entomology is the estimation of minimum time since death or post-mortem interval (PMI). However, it can also provide clues with regard to the possible movement of a corpse, in cases of abuse or neglect, food infestations and toxicological studies. Insects can also form potential sources of human DNA after feeding on a corpse, which can provide additional information in a murder investigation.

Blowflies (bluebottles and greenbottles) are the key group of forensically important insects for a number of reasons. They are the most commonly found insects on dead bodies and are usually the first insects to arrive at a corpse, whereupon they begin to feed and lay eggs. Blowfly larvae (maggots) are the critical stage used in estimating the minimum time of death.

It is important to have an understanding of the life cycle of blowflies when studying the role of these insects in the decomposition of a dead body. Adult flies are attracted to the openings in the head (nose, mouth, eyes), anus, genitals and any wounds that may be present on the body, where they lay their eggs in masses around these sites.

The eggs hatch out into first stage (instar) larvae and pass through two more stages, before leaving the body as post-feeding or ‘wandering’ larvae. The larvae move away from the body, often forming long trails, and subsequently bury into the soil. They change into puparia in the ground and adult flies form within the puparial cases. The adult flies break out of their cases, crawl up through the soil and are then free to begin feeding, mating and laying eggs again.

With an in depth knowledge of insect, particularly blowfly, biology, behaviour and distribution it is then possible to estimate the minimum time of death of a person. It is useful to describe decomposition of the body at the crime scene and to note any insect activity. After this, it is important to collect insect specimens following the correct protocol so that the insects can then be analysed at the laboratory. The insects need to be identified and their life stage noted. Any blowfly larvae collected are aged by using their size and estimates of temperatures that they may have been exposed to before reaching that stage.

The age of maggot gives an estimate of the period of insect activity on the body or the minimum time since death. Death may have occurred before the insect activity commenced as the insects may have been prevented access to the body until later, for instance if the body was in a sealed container.

It is important to gain hands on experience of forensic entomology including insect sampling techniques at a crime scene, insect identification, time of death calculations, casework and research. The Winston Churchill Fellowship allowed me to have this unparalleled opportunity.