Which are you?
Don't forget, you can always...
David entered the world of forensic toxicology in 1974 after completing his PhD in Biochemistry at University of London.
He became interested in toxicology at an early age following the death of a family acquaintance due to accidental poisoning at work. After completing his PhD, David turned down the chance to do a postdoctoral with the Nobel Prize winning scientist, Sir Peter Mitchell, to work in forensic toxicology research.
He's always been fascinated with toxicology because it provides a career linking medicine and analytical chemistry. Forensic toxicology is an area that carries high responsibility and can have a significant impact on society across many different areas, from helping bereaved relatives to gain closure following the unexpected death of a loved one through to assisting police to catch serial killers.
His research and expertise in Analytical and Bimolecular technologies can help us understand how our body reacts to drugs, both during life and death and how they affect our behaviour. "In forensic cases you are often requested to analyse unconventional samples such as eye fluid and muscle tissues, so we are trying to develop analytical methods to help us understand how drugs are distributed around the various body tissues," says David. His biggest discovery was the application of the use of proteolytic enzymes for the release of unstable drugs and poisons from tissue in cases of human poisoning.
His research has taken him all over the world, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Holland, Italy, Luxemburg, Malta, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and New Zealand. He has given evidence in court cases throughout the UK and internationally, and been involved in a number of headline cases such as the trial of former GP and convicted murderer, Dr Harold Shipman. David still finds the witness box a scary experience: "No wonder it's often called 'the loneliest place on earth,'" he says.
So what makes his job so interesting? "There is always something new to learn. For example, new drugs are being developed all the time and present new analytical challenges and then you have to try and interpret what the results mean. The day you think you know everything is the day you should pack it all in. The best thing about my job is having the privilege of working with intelligent and enthusiastic young people and encouraging them to take up a career in science."
Find out more about:
Related pages:
