Dr Hellen Frost

I am the Course Director for the undergraduate Forensic Investigation courses and teach forensic chemistry and biology. My specialist areas are analytical chemistry, toxicology and fire investigation.

I am the Foundation Year lead for forensic investigation and due to my background in secondary education am able to bridge the gap between school/college level science and that needed at degree level. I have a BSc (Hons) Analytical Chemistry and Toxicology, BSc (Hons) Forensic Investigation, PGCE Secondary Science and have recently completed my PhD in Law.

I am a Senior Fellow of the HEA and work on the universities Neurodiversity Steering Group and I am a Health and Safety Rep for the UCU.

I am a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of the HEA and Associate of the CSFS.

I have previously worked as a science teacher in secondary education since completing my PGCE at Christ Church in 1997. Prior to teaching I completed my BSc in Analytical Chemistry and Toxicology at the University of Hull.

I currently lead the Forenisic Investigation foundation year, teaching and supporting student in forensic investigation and sciences. I have also led other forensic science/chemistry based modules for Levels 4, 5 and 6.

My current modules include: Exploring Justice, Foundations of Crime and Forensic Investigation, Fire and Explosion Scene Investigation and Interdisciplinary Communication Skills. I also teach on The Big Picture and Chemical Identification Techniques.

I am also a supervisor for Level 6 students completing their Individual Study. I have previously taught a variety of forensic biology and chemistry modules on the Forensic Investigation Course.

My research area is fire investigation and mapping. I have completed my PhD thesis on the use of Spatio-Temporal mapping of electrical fire incidents to target effective fire prevention education in Kent. To complete this research I have worked in conjunction with the Customer Safety and Prevention team at Kent Fire & Rescue Service to analyse electrical fire data from the Incident Recording System using GIS (geographical information systems) mapping techniques.

The purpose of my research was to identify which electrical appliances most commonly cause fires and investigate the spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal dynamics in electrical fire incidents. This information can then be used to effectively target fire prevention education at specific appliances and demographics within the region.

I am also working with Prometheus Forensics to conduct research into the investigation of fire scenes where there are gaps in the scientific literature that must be used when presenting evidence in court.

I am a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and part of the Higher Education Group, an Associate Member of the Chartered College of Teaching, and a Member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Science.