Welcome to the course

Trigger Warning: Please note that the course deals with issues arising in investigation and trial of serious crimes such as murder and sexual offences. Viewers may find the topics covered, content and images in the course disturbing.

In this course, you will explore the scientific principles and limitations of different forensic disciplines i.e. forensic pathology, medical examination in cases of sexual offences, bite mark analysis and forensic DNA profiling.

In each week you will learn about the science underlying these forensic disciplines. We will also discuss how the courts should use scientific principles to examine forensic evidence. In the final week, the lessons on expert evidence specifically deal with the legal standards followed by courts in examining expert evidence.

We have brought together renowned Indian and Australian experts in the field of forensic science and law.

Dr Stephen Cordner is Emeritus Professor of Forensic Pathology at Monash University and Head of International Programmes at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Australia.

Dr Jagadeesh Narayanareddy is a Professor and Head of Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bengaluru, India.

Shreya Rastogi is a lawyer involved in death penalty litigation and forensics work at Project 39A, National Law University, Delhi. She completed her Masters in Law from NYU School of Law.

Dr Pratik Tarvadi is a medicolegal expert, Professor and Head of Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at GMERS Medical College, Gandhinagar, India.

Dr Richard Bassed is a Senior Forensic Odontologist, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and Head of Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash University, Australia.

Devina Malaviya is a lawyer involved in forensics work at Project 39A, National Law University, Delhi. She has clerked at the Indian Supreme Court and completed Masters in Law from the University of Cambridge.

Dr Vivek Sahajpal is the Assistant Director, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Directorate of Forensic Services, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Dr Gavin Turbett is the Head of Department, Forensic Biology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine Western Australia.

Devina Sikdar is a forensic biologist working with the forensics team at Project 39A, National Law University, Delhi. She completed her M.Sc. in Forensic Science from King’s College London.

Justice Chris Maxwell is the President of the Court of Appeal, Victoria, Australia. He has held this position since 2005. He was also a part of the Forensic Evidence Working Group which developed the Practice Note on expert evidence.

Stewart Bayles is a judge at the County Court, Victoria, Australia. Prior to his appointment, he has been a member of the Victorian Bar for over two decades with extensive experience in litigating a wide range of criminal matters.

The five lessons are divided across 6 weeks. Each lesson comprises videos by experts, articles and quizzes prepared by the Forensics Team at Project 39A. To encourage our audience to interact with us and each other, we have prepared mock case scenarios in the discussion section.

Now you’ve had a chance to read about us, we’d love to hear from you. Join the discussion below by sharing your motivations for joining this course and the outcomes your expect to achieve from it.