While we allow our graduate students the freedom of choosing their own thesis research projects with guidance from a faculty mentor, a number of faculty members in the Southeast Chemistry Department are either actively involved in forensic chemistry research projects or have potential projects for students to pursue.  Below is a listing of some of our faculty members who have interests and/or active projects in forensic chemistry:

Philip Crawford: Trace metal analysis of ecstasy tablets and other forensically relevant samples using microwave-assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

Matthew Fasnacht: Detection of lithium ions in different matrices.  Lithium ions are produced during the illegal synthesis of methamphetamines.  Solutions containing lithium ions are either poured down the drain or on the soil.  Work focuses on detecting lithium ions in soils and in sewage in order to obtain information about how much synthesis waste was generated or how long ago the waste was poured on the soil (or down the drain).

Bruce Hathaway: Improved syntheses of capsaicinoids for use as analytical standards for the analysis of pepper spray composition; Chemical inhibition of the illicit synthesis of methamphetamine.

Jim McGill: Evaluation of the composition of human latent fingerprint residue and its evolution as a function of time for the purpose of establishing a method to determine the time of placement of a latent fingerprint at a crime scene; Study of the capsaicinoid composition of pepper spray residues for the purpose of establishing a method to match a pepper spray stain to its can of origin; Chemical inhibition of the illicit synthesis of methamphetamine; Study of the mechanisms of qualitative tests for the presence of various drugs and drug classes.

David Ritter: Evaluation of the composition of human latent fingerprint residue and its evolution as a function of time for the purpose of establishing a method to determine the time of placement of a latent fingerprint at a crime scene.