Careers at the interface of science and law

Professor Sarah Skerratt

Royal Society of Edinburgh

Professor Sarah Skerratt is Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). A familiar face to the RSE, having been the Director of Programmes for two years, heading up research, international, enterprise, policy, public engagement, Fellowship and Young Academy teams. She also delivers to the ‘Inclusive Public Service’ workstream of the RSE’s Post-Covid Futures Commission. Prior to this, Sarah was Director of Policy Engagement at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), where she worked for just over two decades. Sarah is Professor of Rural Society and Policy.

For 30+ years, Sarah has researched rural community resilience, disempowerment, poverty and rural mental health. She has enhanced rural and national policies and made a difference in rural communities via robust data, particularly lived-experienced evidence. Sarah works with Scottish Government task forces, Scottish and UK Parliaments, universities, private, public and third sectors, communities and development agencies in Scotland and internationally. Following a two-year secondment with Audit Scotland, Sarah is retained as their rural adviser, having established their Islands Forum in 2017.

Sarah is Scientific Director of the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research (SCRR). She is on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), a member of the International Network on Social Disadvantage in Rural Peripheries, member of the Scottish Advisory Group of the OECD Rural Innovation Programme, Partner in Scotland’s Social Action Inquiry, member of the Farming for 1.5 Independent Inquiry and a founding member of the National Rural Mental Health Forum.

Sarah’s charity Board appointments have included: Rural Housing Scotland and Scotland’s Regeneration Forum. She was also on the Board of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

Professor Anne Coxon

Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science

Anne Coxon is the Professor of Practice in Forensic Science and Deputy Director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS) at the University of Dundee. Before coming to LRCFS in April 2023, Anne spent eight years at Forensic Science SA (FSSA) in Adelaide, Australia where, latterly, she was the Assistant Director Operations responsible for the delivery of forensic science and pathology services to the State of South Australia.  She has twenty years’ experience as a technical expert and science leader within the field of clandestine drug laboratories gained whilst working for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR) in New Zealand. Anne holds a PhD in Pure and Applied Chemistry from Strathclyde University in Glasgow and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

James Beazley

Metropolitan Police

James Beazley is a criminal intelligence analyst working for the Metropolitan Police in London. He currently works within the Serious & Organised Crime Command. James has worked on a range of criminal thematises including serious violence, firearm supply, and drug importation. James’ specialism, however, is the detection, prevention, and prosecution of sex crimes.

James wrote the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Problem Profile for Avon and Somerset Police and, last year, he co-authored the Met’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Problem Profile. James is a subject matter expert in sexual slavery and he runs workshops for constabularies around the UK in how to better tackle exploitative prostitution.

James’ work within the Police includes liaising with prosecution and defence lawyers and presenting evidence in Crown Court. Before working for the Police, James studied for a BSc in Physics and Philosophy at Bristol University.

Sean Yu

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design

Sang-hun (Sean) Yu is a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design while concurrently pursuing a PhD at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Before his academic career, he gained experience as an animator working on various animation projects and TV commercials, including his involvement in the Oscar-nominated animated feature film 'L'illusionniste' (The Illusionist), directed by Sylvain Chomet.

Sean is actively engaged in a collaborative VR project between Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and the Leverhulme Research Centre in Forensics as part of his doctoral studies. One of his notable achievements includes the development of the Dundee Ground Truth Imaging Protocol, a systematic procedure for recording forensic scenes reconstructed in 3D rapidly and accurately.

Professor Anne Coxon

Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science

Anne Coxon is the Professor of Practice in Forensic Science and Deputy Director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS) at the University of Dundee. Before coming to LRCFS in April 2023, Anne spent eight years at Forensic Science SA (FSSA) in Adelaide, Australia where, latterly, she was the Assistant Director Operations responsible for the delivery of forensic science and pathology services to the State of South Australia.  She has twenty years’ experience as a technical expert and science leader within the field of clandestine drug laboratories gained whilst working for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR) in New Zealand. Anne holds a PhD in Pure and Applied Chemistry from Strathclyde University in Glasgow and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

James Beazley

Metropolitan Police

James Beazley is a criminal intelligence analyst working for the Metropolitan Police in London. He currently works within the Serious & Organised Crime Command. James has worked on a range of criminal thematises including serious violence, firearm supply, and drug importation. James’ specialism, however, is the detection, prevention, and prosecution of sex crimes.

James wrote the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Problem Profile for Avon and Somerset Police and, last year, he co-authored the Met’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Problem Profile. James is a subject matter expert in sexual slavery and he runs workshops for constabularies around the UK in how to better tackle exploitative prostitution.

James’ work within the Police includes liaising with prosecution and defence lawyers and presenting evidence in Crown Court. Before working for the Police, James studied for a BSc in Physics and Philosophy at Bristol University.

Sean Yu

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design

Sang-hun (Sean) Yu is a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design while concurrently pursuing a PhD at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Before his academic career, he gained experience as an animator working on various animation projects and TV commercials, including his involvement in the Oscar-nominated animated feature film 'L'illusionniste' (The Illusionist), directed by Sylvain Chomet.

Sean is actively engaged in a collaborative VR project between Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and the Leverhulme Research Centre in Forensics as part of his doctoral studies. One of his notable achievements includes the development of the Dundee Ground Truth Imaging Protocol, a systematic procedure for recording forensic scenes reconstructed in 3D rapidly and accurately.

Dr Sara Holland

Potter Clarkson LLP

Sara completed a PhD in chromosome engineering before working as a postdoctoral researcher for eight years in yeast molecular biology. She has been at Potter Clarkson as a patent attorney for the past ten years, working mostly with scientist founders and SMEs in biotechnology, with a particular focus on synthetic biology. Because of her academic background, she is keen to increase knowledge of IP and the crucial role it plays in getting our research out of the lab into the real world.

Dr Alex Shattock

Landmark Chambers

Dr Alex Shattock is a barrister at Landmark Chambers specialising in environmental law, public law and human rights. He has assisted many of the major environmental NGOs in the UK, and has been involved in numerous environmental legal challenges to the government and the fossil fuel industry. His work covers a wide range of topics, which often have a technical or scientific aspect: such as carbon emissions, sewage and agricultural pollution, genetically modified organisms, pesticide licensing, biodiversity, and urban planning. He has a PhD in public international law.

Kate Beaujeux

AstraZeneca

Dr Sara Holland

Potter Clarkson LLP

Sara completed a PhD in chromosome engineering before working as a postdoctoral researcher for eight years in yeast molecular biology. She has been at Potter Clarkson as a patent attorney for the past ten years, working mostly with scientist founders and SMEs in biotechnology, with a particular focus on synthetic biology. Because of her academic background, she is keen to increase knowledge of IP and the crucial role it plays in getting our research out of the lab into the real world.

Dr Alex Shattock

Landmark Chambers

Dr Alex Shattock is a barrister at Landmark Chambers specialising in environmental law, public law and human rights. He has assisted many of the major environmental NGOs in the UK, and has been involved in numerous environmental legal challenges to the government and the fossil fuel industry. His work covers a wide range of topics, which often have a technical or scientific aspect: such as carbon emissions, sewage and agricultural pollution, genetically modified organisms, pesticide licensing, biodiversity, and urban planning. He has a PhD in public international law.

Kate Beaujeux

AstraZeneca

Professor Sarah Skerratt

Royal Society of Edinburgh

Professor Sarah Skerratt is Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). A familiar face to the RSE, having been the Director of Programmes for two years, heading up research, international, enterprise, policy, public engagement, Fellowship and Young Academy teams. She also delivers to the ‘Inclusive Public Service’ workstream of the RSE’s Post-Covid Futures Commission. Prior to this, Sarah was Director of Policy Engagement at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), where she worked for just over two decades. Sarah is Professor of Rural Society and Policy.

For 30+ years, Sarah has researched rural community resilience, disempowerment, poverty and rural mental health. She has enhanced rural and national policies and made a difference in rural communities via robust data, particularly lived-experienced evidence. Sarah works with Scottish Government task forces, Scottish and UK Parliaments, universities, private, public and third sectors, communities and development agencies in Scotland and internationally. Following a two-year secondment with Audit Scotland, Sarah is retained as their rural adviser, having established their Islands Forum in 2017.

Sarah is Scientific Director of the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research (SCRR). She is on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), a member of the International Network on Social Disadvantage in Rural Peripheries, member of the Scottish Advisory Group of the OECD Rural Innovation Programme, Partner in Scotland’s Social Action Inquiry, member of the Farming for 1.5 Independent Inquiry and a founding member of the National Rural Mental Health Forum.

Sarah’s charity Board appointments have included: Rural Housing Scotland and Scotland’s Regeneration Forum. She was also on the Board of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).