Ms Amoret Whitaker MSc DIC

Biography

Employment history

2002 - present   The Natural History Museum: PhD Student in Forensic Entomology
                              Currently undertaking a part-time PhD, research the succession of
                              insects on pig cadavers in the UK and human cadavers in the USA.
                              I also regularly undertake forensic casework for police forces throughout
                              UK and for the two main UK forensic providers, Forensic Science
                              Service and LGC Forensics.

1999 - present    Part-time Administrator for the MSc in Advanced Methods in Taxonomy
                              and Biodiversity and the MRes in Biosystematics run jointly by the NHM
                              and Imperial College.

1999 - 2002         The Natural History Museum: Assistant Entomologist
                              Updated The Handbook of British Fleas, published by the Field Studies
                              Council and Royal Entomological Society.  Included new identification key
                              to 62 species of flea found in the British Isles, and a searchable internet
                              distribution list of flea species, host species, county and references.

1999 - 1999        The Natural History Museum: Research Assistant
                             Wrote and published a new identification key for a genus of parasitic wasp
                             (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Iphiaulax)

1998 - 1999         Imperial College, Silwood Park, Ascot: Research Assistant
                              Wrote and published a new identification key for a genus of parasitic wasp
                              (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Curriea)

 

Qualifications

1997 - 1998        MSc DIC in Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity
                              Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum, London
                              Research Thesis: Use of Morphological and Molecular Characters
                              to Create a Phylogeny of Tiger Beetles (Cicindela)

1994 - 1997        BSc (Hons) (2.i) in Zoology
                             The University of Reading, Berkshire
                             Research Thesis: Phenotypic Variation in the Abdominal Colour
                             Pattern of Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Professional

External collaborations

Professor Ian Dadour, Centre for Forensic Science, University of Western Australia

Dr Andrew Hart, Violent Crime, Forensic Science Service, London

Anthropology Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

 

 

Guest lectures

7^th-9^th September 2003, Centrex, Bramshill

8^th December 2004, Forensic Science Service (FSS) with Martin Hall

2^nd March 2005, monthly meeting of London Pathologists, with Martin Hall

15^th March 2005, Forensic Entomology lecture to A’level students in Darwin Centre, NHM.

17^th May 2005, Forensic Entomology lecture to BSc Applied Environmental Studies
students from Salford University, at the Natural History Museum, London.

4^th July 2005, Forensic Entomology lecture to A’ level students from Medway School.

25^th January 2006, Forensic Entomology lecture to A’ level students from Bedales School.

10^th February 2006, Forensic Entomology lecture and laboratory tour to Salters-Nuffield
A-level Biology students from Central Sussex College.

2^nd May 2006, Forensic Entomology lecture to BSc Applied Environmental Studies students
from Salford University.

29^th and 31^st May 2006, Pestival, the first international festival of insects, Wetlands Centre,
Barnes, London.

1^st July 2006, Meeting of the British Association in Forensic Medicine (BAFM), Shap Wells,
Cumbria.

31^st July 2006, Forensic Entomology lecture on the course in Human Identification in
Forensic Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.

13^th September 2006, Meeting of the Scottish Medico-Legal Society, Glasgow.

16^th January 2007, Forensic Entomology lecture to MSc/Short Course students from the
London School of Health and Tropical Medicine.

17^th March 2008, Forensic Entomology talk to A’level students from Redbridge College.

15^th July 2008, Forensic Entomology lecture on the Taphonomy Course, Forensic
Anthropology Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.

10^th December 2008, talk given to members of the Society of Electron Microscope
Technology (SEMT).

20^th January 2009, Forensic Entomology lecture to MSc/Short Course students from
the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine.

10^th March 2009, 2 Forensic Entomology lectures to undergraduate students from
Cranfield College.

 

 

Attended conferences

2^nd – 4^th April 2003, 1^st European Association for Forensic Entomology (EAFE)
Conference, Frankfurt, Germany.

1^st – 4^th September 2003, International Academy of Legal Medicine (IALM),
XIX Congress, Milan, Italy.

28^th – 29^th March 2004, 2^nd EAFE Conference, London, UK.

21^st – 24^th July 2004, 2^nd North American Forensic Entomology (NAFE) Conference,
Davis, California, USA.

15^th – 21^st August 2004, XXII International Congress of Entomology (ICE), Brisbane,
Australia.

26^th – 28^th April 2005, 3^rd EAFE Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland.

22^nd – 26^th August 2005, 17^th meeting of the International Association of Forensic
Sciences (IAFS), Hong Kong, China.

2^nd December 2005, The Bond Solon Expert Witness Conference 2005, London.

26^th – 29^th April 2006, 4^th EAFE Conference, Bari, Italy.

27^th February 2007, Winter General Meeting 2007 of the Council for British
Archaeology: Archaeology and Forensic Science, London.

2^nd – 5^th May 2007, 5^th EAFE Conference, Brussels, Belgium.

20^th – 24^th May 2008, 6^th EAFE Conference, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece.

9^th – 12^th June 2009, 7^th EAFE Conference, Uppsala, Sweden.

16^th-17^th July 2009, 7^th Annual Meeting of NAFEA, Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

 

 

Links

European Association for Forensic Entomology (EAFE)

EAFE

North American Forensic Entomology Association (NAFEA)

NAFEA

Science:[So what? So everything]

Science:[So what? So everything]

NHM Consulting

NHM Consulting

Maggots and Murders

Maggots and Murders

Media

Articles

23^rd May 2005, discussion of forensic entomology with Rin Simpson, attending
a journalism course at the University of Bristol.Rin Simpson PDF (7.7 MB)

2^nd October 2005, article in the Sunday Post, Scotland, “Gruesome Mystery in
the Grand Canyon”.Sunday Post PDF (2.8 MB)

16^th April 2008, interview with Time Out magazine, in 13^th-19^th November 2008
issue, “Kensington Gore”, p.28-30.Time Out PDF (1.8 MB)

28^th May 2009, article in the Daily Express newspaper, “No Flies on Me …”Daily Express PDF (2.1 MB)

June 2009, article in Chat Unsolved Crime, “My really lice job with corpses”.Chat Unsolved Crime PDF (4.7 MB)

24^th October 2009, article in the New Scientist Graduate Careers Special, “Heroes
Wanted: Catch a Bad Guy”.New Scientist PDF (12.9 MB)

November 2009, article in BBC Focus, Issue No. 209, “Science Sleuths: The Bug
Catcher”.BBC Focus PDF (16.1 MB)

 

19^th/26^th December 2009 & 2^nd January 2010 quoted in New Scientist article “Inside Knowledge”.

 

5^th January 2010, article in Birmingham Mail (Family Life) “Grisly side of the real life CSI”.

 

5^th January 2010, article in Surrey and Hants News “Not just a man’s world”.

 

 

Radio

16^th September 2004, discussed forensic entomology and pig work, Material World, Radio 4, Kilogram and Forensic Techniques.

31^st January 2005, one hour discussion on forensic entomology, Curious Creatures, Resonance FM, London art’s radio station.

29^th May 2006, live radio interview with Resonance FM, at Pestival, Wetlands Centre, London.

14^th September 2009, live radio interview on Radio 4 Women’s Hour, with Yvonne Linton, another Entomologist at the NHM.

 

Television

24^th January 2007, filmed a BBC advertisement for Waking the Dead.

22^nd January 2008, interview and pig decomposition time-lapse photography for BBC
Wales commissioning programme for proposed series on the Natural History Museum.

12^th November 2008, film shoot and interview for Wild Dream Films, during filming of
TV series Ancient Discoveries for the History Channel, shown the US in January 2009.

July 2009, filming by BBC Wales at Anthropological Research Facility for BBC series
Museum of Life, to be broadcast in spring 2010.

November 2009, filming by BBC Wales at Natural History Museum for BBC series
Museum of Life, to be broadcast in spring 2010.

 

Work with artists

May 2007, consultant for time-lapse photography on swan decomposition for Sam
Taylor-Wood video installation That White Rush, shown at the Venice Biennale.

September 2009, worked with the book artist Mark Cockram on an installation for
Pestival at the South Bank, entitled The Decayed Book.

 

Public outreach

May 2006, public lectures and maggot racing at Pestival, the first international festival of insects, at the Barnes Wetlands Centre.

24^th October 2006, exhibition of Forensic Entomology at Buckingham Palace Science Day.

23^rd November 2006, exhibition of Forensic Entomology at Death @ the Dana Centre.

September 2009, installation of a Forensic Tent at Pestival at the South Bank.

 

 

Publications

2009

• Hall, M. & Whitaker, A. ( 2009 ) Forensic Entomology Nature First 54 : 23-26 .
• Paterson, L.J.G, Glover, A.G., Barrio Frojan, C.R.S., Whitaker, A., Budaeva, N., Chimonides, J. & Doner, S. ( 2009 ) A census of abyssal polychaetes Deep-Sea Research II 56 : 1739-1746 .

2008

• Hart, A. J., Whitaker, A. P. & Hall, M. J. R. H. ( 2008 ) The use of Forensic Entomology in criminal investigations: how it can be of benefit to Senior Investigating Officers The Journal of Homicide and Major Incident Investigation 4(1) : 37-47 .
• Whitaker, A. & Hall, M. ( 2008 ) Forensic Entomology: Using insects to solve crime Catalyst 19(1) : 1-3 .
• Whitaker, A. P. (formerly Brandt), Bhuiya, B. A., Fitton, M. G. & Quicke, D. L. J. ( 2008 ) The Oriental and Indo-Australian species of the parasitic wasp genus Iphiaulax Foerster (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Braconidae) Journal of Taxonomy and Biodiversity Research 1(2) : 11-44 .

2007

• Whitaker, A. P. ( 2007 ) Fleas (Siphonaptera). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Vol.1 Part 16 (2nd Ed.) . Royal Entomological Society & Field Studies Council 178pp. . Fleas (Siphonaptera). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Vol.1 Part 16 (2nd Ed.)
• Whitaker, A. P. ( 2007 ) . The Distribution of British Fleas Database

2006

• Hall, Martin & Brandt, Amoret ( 2006 ) Forensic Entomology Science in School Issue 2 : 49-53 .
• Hart, A. J. & Whitaker, A. P. (formerly Brandt) ( 2006 ) Forensic Entomology: insect activity and its role in the decomposition of human cadavers Antenna 30(4) : 159-164 .

2004

• Brandt, A. P. ( 2004 ) A Fascination for Flies Antenna (Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society) 28(3) : 181-182 .

2003

• Brandt, A. P. ( 2003 ) Book Review: Maggots, Murder and Men: memories and reflections of a forensic entomologist by Dr Zakaria Erzinclioglu Entomologist's Gazette 54 : .

2002

• Holloway, G. J., Gilbert, F. & Brandt, A. ( 2002 ) The relationship between mimetic imperfection and phenotypic variation in insect colour patterns Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 269 : 411-416 .

2001

• Brandt, Amoret P. ( 2001 ) Book Review: Irish Indoor Insects: a popular guide by James P. O'Connor & Patrick Ashe.  Illustrated by Sean Milne Entomologist's Gazette 52(4) : 251-252 .

2000

• Pampiglione, G., Quicke, D. L. J. & Brandt, A. ( 2000 ) Observations of insect parasitoids by Antonio Vallisneri in the XVII century Antenna 24(1) : 11-17 .
• Quicke, D. L. J., Brandt, A. P. & Falco, J. V. ( 2000 ) Revision of the Afrotropical species of Curriea Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Braconinae): a genus with diverse ovipositor morphology African Entomology 8(1) : 109-139 .