A forensic scientist from Bury St Edmunds has been awarded a prestigious fellowship which will see her travel the world to research the recovery of fingerprints in cold cases.
Zoe Cadwell, a former crime scene investigator with Suffolk police, will visit Canada and Australia later this year to study the recovery of fingerprints on evidence that has been buried in criminal investigations.
Mrs Cadwell, 40, who lectures in forensic science and crime and investigative studies at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, is among 150 people from across the UK to receive a Churchill Fellowship from nearly 1,800 applicants.
The former Stowmarket High School pupil said she was “very shocked” when she received the letter confirming the fellowship.
“I was really surprised,” she said. “I got home from work and my husband said you’ve got a letter from the Winston Churchill Trust and to be honest I thought it would say that I hadn’t got it.
“But I was very shocked when I opened it, and couldn’t quite believe it.”
Mrs Cadwell’s research will focus on the recovery of fingerprints on evidence such as weapons, drugs or cash which has been buried.
She will then share the methods she observes while in Canada and Australia with forensic scientists in the UK.
“I want to see how things are done and what they are doing differently,” she said. “Australia is a very hot country and Canada is very cold and I want to see if there is anything they do because of their environment that I can then adapt.
“There are plenty of cases where weapons have been buried or stolen property has been buried, particularly in organised crime, and we need a better method.”
Mrs Cadwell is currently making arrangements for her trip but is expecting to visit the countries in July and August.
Julia Weston, chief executive of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, said: “Churchill fellows are inspiring individuals who scour the world for fresh approaches to today’s crucial issues.
“It’s a unique chance to make change happen, and every UK citizen over the age of 18 can apply. The next round of applications will open on May 16, 2019.”
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