Forensic Scientist - Tasks and specialisations
Kaipūtaiao Taihara
Tasks & duties
Forensic scientists may do some or all of the following:
- visit crime scenes to find evidence
- take notes and draw sketches of crime scenes
- analyse physical evidence such as fibres, glass, debris, firearms, bullets and marks made by tools or weapons
- identify drugs found on people, in body fluids or at crime scenes
- analyse biological evidence such as hair, blood and other body fluids
- analyse body tissues for poisons
- write reports on the results
- give evidence in court
- investigate civil court cases such as fire or insurance claims
- train police staff in collecting evidence.
At the technician level, the main tasks are to help scientists prepare and carry out a range of experiments and tests.
Science technician job information
Collecting a sample from a vehicle used in a crime
Photo courtesy of ESR
Janina Savage using a high power light microscope to examine a slide
Specialisations
Forensic scientists usually specialise in one area of forensic science such as DNA analysis, illicit drugs analysis, firearms examination or toxicology (the analysis of body samples for drugs and poisons).
Updated
June 2008
