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Overview

This meeting will bring together leading scientists and prominent members of the legal community from the UK and USA to explore approaches used by courts in their consideration, evaluation, and management of scientific evidence and expert witnesses.

The conference will consider scientific evidence that appears in court today as well as emerging areas of science, including neuroscience, human enhancement and climate change attribution, that may appear in the courts in the coming years.

The conference is part of the Science and Law programmes at the National Academy of Science and the Royal Society. Find out more about the Royal Society's Science and the Law programme.

The conference is led by:

  • Dame Anne Rafferty DBE, former Lady Justice of Appeal of England and Wales
  • Judge David Tatel, US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit
  • Lord Anthony Hughes of Ombersley PC, former judge of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
  • Dr Anne-Marie Mazza, Senior Director of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Dr Julie Maxton CBE, Executive Director of the Royal Society
  • David Baltimore, President Emeritus and Judge Shirley Hufstedler Professor of Biology, the California Institute of Technology

It is hoped that this will be the first in a series of joint international Science and Law meetings in the coming years.

Attending this event

  • This will be a hybrid event
  • In-person attendance is by invitation only
  • For virtual attendance, please sign up using the link on this page
  • For the programme, scroll down and click on the arrows to see the speakers and abstracts for their talks
  • The Royal Society has an acceptable use policy for all online events, and we expect our users to abide by these guidelines
  • For any queries or accessibility requirements, please email the Royal Society Science and the Law programme team.

Organisers

Schedule

09:00-09:05
Welcome from the President of the Royal Society

Speakers

Sir Adrian Smith

President, the Royal Society

09:05-09:10
Welcome from the President of the National Academy of Sciences

Speakers

Marcia McNutt

President, the National Academy of Sciences, US

09:15-09:35
Talk title to be confirmed

Speakers

Judge David Tatel

Senior Circuit Judge, Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, US

09:35-09:55
Talk title to be confirmed

Speakers

Anthony Hughes, Lord Hughes of Ombersley

Former Judge of the Supreme Court, UK

09:55-10:30
Panel discussion

Speakers

Professor Niamh NicDaeid FRSE

University of Dundee, UK

Professor Thomas Albright

Vision Center Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CA, US


Chair

Professor Dame Sue Black DBE FRSE

Royal Anthropological Institute and Lancaster University, UK

11:05-11:30
Overview of forensic science

Speakers

Professor Niamh NicDaeid FRSE

University of Dundee, UK

11:30-11:50
Advanced forensic genomics

Speakers

Professor Bruce Budowle

University of North Texas, US

11:50-12:10
Facial recognition
12:10-12:30
Voice recognition

Chair

Professor Dame Sue Black DBE FRSE

Royal Anthropological Institute and Lancaster University, UK

13:40-14:00
Evaluating digital evidence

Speakers

Dr Eoghan Casey

University of Lausanne and OwnBackup

14:00-14:20
Artificial intelligence
14:10-14:30
Forensic science in a virtual reality

Speakers

Vincenzo Rinaldi

University of Dundee, UK

14:20-14:30
Comment from a legal perspective

Speakers

Judge Harry T Edwards

United States Court of Appeals

14:40-15:10
Panel discussion - research gaps

Speakers

Professor Niamh NicDaeid FRSE

University of Dundee, UK

Professor Bruce Budowle

University of North Texas, US

Dr Eoghan Casey

University of Lausanne and OwnBackup

Vincenzo Rinaldi

University of Dundee, UK

Judge Harry T Edwards

United States Court of Appeals

15:00-15:05
Introduction from the Chair
15:05-15:40
An introduction to likelihood ratios

Speakers

Professor Gill Tully CBE

King's College London, UK


Chair

Dame Anne Rafferty

Former High Court Judge of the United Kingdom

16:15-17:30
Panel discussion

Speakers

Professor Thomas Albright

Vision Center Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CA, US

Professor Gill Tully CBE

King's College London, UK

Hon Barbara J Rothstein, United States District Judge

United States District Court, Western District of Washington, US

Mr Justice Richard Meade

High Court Judge of England and Wales, in charge of intellectual property

Professor Lucina Hackman

University of Dundee, UK


Chair

Professor Alta Charo

University of Wisconsin–Madison, US

09:25-09:30
Introduction to the session

Speakers

Professor Alta Charo

University of Wisconsin–Madison, US

09:30-09:50
Genetic enhancement

Abstract

 

Speakers

Dr Robin Lovell-Badge FMedSci FRS

Principal Group Leader, Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics, The Francis Crick Institute

09:50-10:10
Drugs

Speakers

Professor Barbara Sahakian FMedSci

University of Cambridge, UK

10:10-10:30
The future of brain interfaces

Speakers

Professor Philip Sabes

University of California, San Francisco, US

10:30-10:50
Brain death

Abstract

 

Speakers

Professor Adrian Owen OBE

Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, Canada

10:50-11:15
Panel discussion

Speakers

Professor Barbara Sahakian FMedSci

University of Cambridge, UK

Professor Philip Sabes

University of California, San Francisco, US

Professor Adrian Owen OBE

Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, Canada

Professor Alta Charo

University of Wisconsin–Madison, US

Dr Robin Lovell-Badge FMedSci FRS

Principal Group Leader, Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics, The Francis Crick Institute


Chair

Judge Jed Rakoff

Senior District Judge for New York Southern District, US

11:45-12:10
Memory and its fallibility

Abstract

 

Speakers

Professor Ray Dolan FMedSci FRS

University College London, UK

12:10-12:35
Eyewitness identification

Speakers

Professor Thomas Albright

Vision Center Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CA, US

12:35-13:00
Panel discussion

Speakers

Professor Ray Dolan FMedSci FRS

University College London, UK

Professor Adrian Owen OBE

Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, Canada

Professor Barbara Sahakian

University of Cambridge, UK

Professor Philip Sabes

University of California, San Francisco, US

Professor Thomas Albright

Vision Center Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CA, US

14:00-14:10
Introduction from the Chair
14:10-14:30
An overview of the science

Speakers

Professor Eric Wolff FRS

University of Cambridge

14:30-14:50
Attribution

Speakers

Professor Gabi Hegerl

University of Edinburgh, UK

14:50-15:10
Air quality

Speakers

Professor David Fowler CBE FRS

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Edinburgh Research Station), UK

15:10-15:30
Economics
15:30-16:00
Panel discussion

Speakers

Professor Eric Wolff FRS

University of Cambridge

Professor Gabi Hegerl

University of Edinburgh, UK

Professor David Fowler CBE FRS

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Edinburgh Research Station), UK


Chair


Chair

Dr Anne-Marie Mazza

The National Academy of Sciences, US

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