Dr Tim Thompson

National Teaching Fellow 2014 Dr Tim Thompson has published over 35 papers in peer-reviewed journals and books and is a renowned expert on heat-induced apatite and crystallinity changes in bone. Most of his research on this focuses on the development of new analytical tools to examine this challenging biomaterial. Tim is also interested in the relationship between the biological and social body (again particularly in the modern context), and the role of forensic anthropology/anthropologists in the world at large. With regard to this, he has been actively researching teaching methods and processes within forensic anthropology and has published on the legal and ethical constraints of teaching such subjects. He has a particular interest in the use of digital technologies in the teaching of the forensic and crime scene sciences. He is Managing Director of the spin-out company, anthronomics ltd, which develops and sells teaching aids and tools for those learning and teaching the skeletal sciences. He has recently published the book, Human identity and identification, with Dr Becky Gowland (Durham University) and was previously senior editor for the book Forensic human identification. At Teesside he is actively involved in undertaking and fostering research. On top of developing his own research team and striving to create an environment for them to successfully work and develop in, Tim currently chairs the University Research Ethics and Integrity Committee, is deputy chair of the University Research Degrees Committee and sits on the University Research Policy Committee. Externally, he is the Publicity Secretary for the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, works closely with the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, and is on the editorial boards for the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine and Human Remains and Violence: an Interdisciplinary Journal. He is a practicing forensic anthropologist who has worked at home and abroad in a variety of forensic contexts. Before coming to Teesside, Tim studied for his PhD at the University of Sheffield (Faculty of Medicine) and was a Lecturer in Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee.