Rate My Professor Ioannis Coumbaros

Dr. Ioannis Coumbaros, known professionally as Dr. John Coumbaros, is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at Murdoch University in the School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences. He serves as Academic Chair of Forensic Biology and Toxicology and Academic Chair of Forensic Chemistry. With more than 20 years of experience in forensic science, he has worked across multiple Australian jurisdictions, including the National Institute of Forensic Science, Australian Federal Police, and Department of Defence. Coumbaros founded ChemCrimLab, a Forensic Chemistry Education and Research Hub at Murdoch University, where he leads efforts in forensic chemistry education and research.

As Academic Chair, Coumbaros oversees undergraduate programs including the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Biology and Toxicology and the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Chemistry. He is unit coordinator and lecturer for Chemical Criminalistics and Fingerprint Analysis in the Master of Forensic Science program. His scholarly contributions encompass co-authored peer-reviewed publications such as 'Crimino-forensic applications to arson prevention: spatiotemporal factors' (2026), 'A controlled method for the identification of forensic traces from touch DNA on fabric' (2024), 'An Environmental DNA Approach to the Isolation of Human Nuclear DNA from Latrine Waste' (2023), 'Development of face similarity linkage for the attribution of intelligence links in covert investigations' (2026), and 'Testing the efficiency of six DNA extraction kits on ten drug tablets' (2025). He has supervised master's theses including 'The Development of Outsole Impressions in Blood on Dark Substrates' (2025), 'A review of the collision induced dissociation fragmentation patterns of fentanyl analogues' (2018), and 'Derivatisation of nerve agent degradants without removal of matrix interferents' (2019). Coumbaros contributes to forensic advancements in areas like trace evidence analysis, chemical criminalistics, and arson investigation.