Professor of Forensic Science and Director, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee
Professor Niamh Nic Daeid BSc BA PhD FRSE, FRSC, CChem, FCSFS, FICI, FFireInv is an award winning Chartered Chemist and Authorised forensic scientist. She is a Professor of Forensic Science and Director of both the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (a 10year, £10million centre for disruptive research) and the Forensic Drug Research Group both at the University of Dundee. She has been involved in forensic science education, research and casework for over 24 years. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and holds fellowships of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Chartered Society of Forensic Science, the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, the Royal Statistical Society and the UK Association of Fire Investigators.
She has held National and International leadership positions in both fire investigation and forensic science. She is the immediate past chair of the European working group for fire and explosion investigation and of the INTERPOL forensic science managers symposium and is the current vice chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the International Criminal Court. She is an appointed Commissioner on the Dundee Drugs Commission, a first of its kind in Scotland.
Niamh is a registered forensic practitioner with the National Crime Agency and is authorised as a Forensic Chemist under the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, Section 280(4). She has been involved as an expert witness for the courts in over a hundred criminal cases including investigations relating to fire scenes and terrorist events. She is currently one of the expert witnesses appointed to the Grenfell Tower public inquiry and has provided both written and oral evidence to the Public Inquiry.
She has led the development of Codes of Practice for forensic science practitioners in fire investigation in the UK and in Europe and has developed international analytical guidance for the United Nations. She sits on the steering committee of the Judicial primers project led by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and the Lord President of Scotland in collaboration with the Royal Society and Royal Society of Edinburgh. She has published over 200 research papers, book chapters, monographs and books and holds a research grant portfolio in excess of £12.8 million.