Rate My Professor Linda Brownlow

Professor Linda Brownlow is Head of School of Science and Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Greenwich in the Faculty of Engineering and Science. She joined the university in January 2014 after a distinguished career with the Metropolitan Police, where she served as Head of Crime Scene Training at the Hendon Crime Academy. Over twenty years, she worked as a qualified Crime Scene Examiner and ACPO-registered Fingerprint Expert, gaining extensive practical experience in forensic investigations. Brownlow holds an MSc in Crime Science from University College London, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), and is a Member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (MCSFS). She is nationally registered as a Fingerprint Expert and has been recognized as a respected lecturer and practitioner in the field of forensic science.

Her research interests focus on fingerprint identification and crime scene evidence. A key publication is the 2023 paper 'Case closed: wrappings and encasement delays and reduces fly presence on body parts' in Forensic Science International, where she led the investigation into how wrappings affect fly activity on body parts, co-authored with Stephen Young, Mandela Fernández-Grandon, and Richard J. Hopkins. She has also demonstrated through experiments that high-fat crisps serve as effective accelerants in arson, leaving minimal traceable residues, challenging traditional forensic assumptions about accelerants like petrol. Previously, Brownlow advised the Skills for Justice Advisory Group, sat on the ACPO Forensic Science Competency Programme Board, and contributed to the ACPO National Forensic Science Training and Standards Group. In 2023, she won the Outstanding Personal Tutor Award in the University of Greenwich Student-Led Teaching Awards for the Faculty of Engineering and Science. Under her leadership, the School of Science oversees highly ranked programs in forensic science, biology, and biomedical sciences.