Forensic Research and Technology

Claude Roux AO is a Distinguished Professor of Forensic Science and Director of the UTS Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours List “for distinguished service to forensic science, to technological development, to law enforcement, to ethics, and to tertiary education.”
After completing his studies in forensic science at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), Claude moved to Australia in 1996 to establish and lead the country’s first undergraduate and PhD programs in forensic science at UTS.
His research spans microtraces and chemical criminalistics, questioned documents, fingerprints, forensic intelligence, and the broader contribution of forensic science to policing and security. His work is underpinned by a long‑standing vision of forensic science as a distinctive, research‑driven discipline with strong societal impact.
Claude has authored over 200 peer‑reviewed papers, 27 book chapters and co‑authored a textbook. His contributions have been recognised through more than 20 awards, including the Paul L. Kirk Award from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the AIPS Tall Poppy Award, the UTS Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for Research Impact, and a national Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.
He is Editor-in-Chief of WIREs Forensic Science, serves on multiple international editorial boards, and contributes to numerous advisory and working groups in Australia and internationally. He is a Past President of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (2017–2023), Vice-President of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences, past President and Life Member of the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He has also served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Criminal Court (2014–2023) and is a founding member of the African Forensic Science Academy.
He remains deeply committed to strengthening forensic science as a rigorous, ethical, and globally connected discipline.

Evgeny Katz received his PhD in Chemistry from Frumkin Institute of Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia in 1983. He was a senior researcher at the Institute of Photosynthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia, 1983-1991. During 1992 and 1993 he performed research at München Technische Universität in Germany as a Humboldt fellow. Later, from 1993 to 2006, Dr. Katz was a Research Associate Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2006 he joined the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Clarkson University, as the Milton Kerker Chaired Professor of Chemistry. He has (co)authored over 420 papers in peer-reviewed journals/books with total citations of more than 25,000 (Hirsch-index 82) and holds more than 20 international patents. He has edited four books on different topics, including bioelectronics, molecular and biomolecular computing, implantable bioelectronics and forensic science. He was an Editor-in-Chief for IEEE Sensors Journal (2009-2012) and he is a member of the editorial boards of many other journals. His scientific interests are in the broad areas of bioelectronics, biosensors, biofuel cells, biomolecular information processing (bio-computing) and recently, in forensic science. In 2011, Thomson Reuters released data identifying the world's top 100 chemists over the past 10 years as ranked by the impact of their published research. Evgeny Katz was included in that list as #63 from an approximate total of a million chemists indexed by Thomson Reuters. Evgeny Katz was also included in the list of top cited chemists, with a worldwide rank of 384 based on his H-index.

María Victoria Lareu Huidobro (Santiago de Compostela, 1960) holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery from USC (1984), continuing her training in different research centers of special relevance in forensic medicine such as the Institute of Legal Medicine of Coimbra or London Hospital College.

She completed her doctoral thesis on genetic markers in alcoholic liver cirrhosis (1990) at USC, joining the Department of Pathology and Forensic Sciences as an assistant professor and carrying out her research and teaching activity focused on the field of forensic genetics, participating in the introduction of STR loci in the field.

In 1996, she became a professor at USC in the Department of Pathology and Forensic Sciences, where she pioneered the application of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and InDels (insertion and deletion polymorphisms) for predicting biogeographic ancestry and physical characteristics—new markers in forensic genetics that are now widely used in the field. Currently, her research focuses on the application of massively parallel sequencing technologies in forensics and the study and application of epixenetic markers of the human genome, pioneering fields in forensic investigation.

In 2007 she obtained the position of Professor of Legal Medicine at USC, and is nominated director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences at USC.

His work was recognized with four consecutive research excellence awards (six-year research periods) (awarded every six years) (1990-1996; 1997-2002; 2003-2008; 2009-2014 (next application 2020),) and with a Science Transfer Award (six-year transfer period).
 

Dr. Krotulski serves as a Director of Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) and is the Program Manager for NPS Discovery, the CFSRE's open-access drug early warning system and flagship program for the identification and characterization of novel and newly emerging drugs. Dr. Krotulski is a chemist by training and practices as a forensic toxicologist. He holds faculty appointment and serves as the Program Director for the Thomas Jefferson University Master of Science in Forensic Toxicology (MSFT) program and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

Dr. Krotulski received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry from Temple University in 2019, following receipt of his Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from Arcadia University in 2015, and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Loyola University New Orleans in 2013. To date, Dr. Krotulski has authored or co-authored more than 65 peer-reviewed journal publications in the areas of forensic toxicology, forensic chemistry, clinical toxicology, pharmacology, and more, in addition to giving more than 125 scientific presentations across various areas of forensic science, mass spectrometry, and analytical chemistry. Dr. Krotulski has served as a chair, co-chair, or moderator for many workshops and webinars at the AAFS, the Society of Forensic Toxicology (SOFT), and various other professional society conferences and symposia, and remains an active member of these organizations through committee appointments and service opportunities. His research and casework focus heavily on aspects related to the detection of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and characterization of recreational drug supplies, including studies that examine drug positivity, trends, metabolism, quantitation, and effects on humans through NPS Discovery's intelligence, surveillance, monitoring, and response efforts.

Lorrae is passionate about keeping occupation at the heart of occupational therapy. She has worked in a variety of adult mental health settings in Australia, Canada and the UK and is presently a lead occupational therapist at Forensicare in Melbourne and a doctoral candidate with Monash University. Her doctoral research is focused on occupational formulation, with other recent and current research focused on the experiences of occupational therapists working in solitary confinement settings, and the experiences of forensic mental health consumers in relation to disclosure, everyday digital technology and transitioning to community living. In 2020 she authored the guides “Normal life has been disrupted: Managing the disruption caused by COVID-19” and “The new normal: navigating everyday life during COVID-19” which have been translated into multiple languages and used internationally.