After eight years of working in estate agency, University of Derby graduate, Mandy Stephens, took a new career path: forensic science.
Mandy completed her BSc (Hons) in Forensic Science and Criminology in 2014, and was awarded first class honours at the University’s Awards Ceremonies, at Derby Arena, on Wednesday, January 14. She’s working at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as an Investigation Researcher for the Hillsborough Investigation; the biggest criminal investigation into alleged police misconduct in England and Wales.
The role comes after three years of study. In her first year, Mandy was awarded the Biological and Forensic Sciences Semester award for academic achievement. She was then accepted as the University of Derby’s student representative with the British Association of Human Identification and, the British Association of Forensic Anthropology.
At the end of her degree, Mandy was awarded the annual Pearson Publishing Prize for ‘Best Forensic Independent Study’, which she calls her “greatest achievement”, in which she secured the opportunity to reconsider the biological evidence of a current cold criminal case and explored methods of preserving biological evidence for human identification purposes.
Mandy has also helped to catalogue and supervise the forensic examination of the Anglo Saxon Skeletal Collection held by the University on behalf of Derby Museum, looking in particular at familial linkage, disease and non-metric traits. Talking about her graduation, Mandy said: “It was all really exciting; I enjoyed and embraced my studies and I’m thrilled that all my hard work was recognised by my First class degree. This achievement has also made it possible for me to successfully gain a relevant role with a prestigious organisation.”
Adam Long, lecturer in Forensic Science, said: “Mandy showed a relentless enthusiasm in her degree programme and always demonstrated continued engagement and interest for learning. Mandy is very deserving of her first class honours degree and I‘m proud that her efforts have been recognised by this excellent achievement. This will serve her extremely well in her future career ambitions.”
The University of Derby’s new custom-built Forensic Training Facility (FTF) was officially opened. The £410,000 facility, which looks like a typical four-bedroom house, has seven replica crime scenes hidden behinds its wall, with a blood pattern analysis room – believed to be the only one in a UK university. The house is fitted with CCTV, audio-visual equipment and other technology allowing tutors to monitor students from a distance, so they can work crime scenes, in a real-life setting. For more about the University of Derby’s BSc (Hons) Forensic Science visit: http://derby.ac.uk/science/courses/.
