FACTA Board Members
Tim Scott
Team Leader and Principal Scientist Toxicology Section
Forensic Science, Adelaide, South Australia
president@facta.org.au
Tim holds a Bachelor of Technology and a Bachelor of Science (Honours), both from Flinders University. He has given evidence numerous times in court and is an approved analyst under the Road Traffic Act of South Australia.
He regularly delivers lectures on post-mortem and forensic toxicology to the South Australian Police and other interested stakeholders. His research interests include post-mortem degradation of drugs and drug screening using high resolution mass spectrometry.
He is a member of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), for which he produces The Toxpod, a podcast about forensic toxicology. He is also a member of The Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), and the Society of Hair Testing (SOHT).
Michaela Kenneally
Senior Forensic Scientist
Toxicology Section
Forensic Science SA
treasurer@facta.org.au
Michaela has been a Forensic Scientist within the Toxicology department of Forensic Science SA since 2006. She holds a Bachelor of Technology (Forensic and Analytical Chemistry) and Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Flinders University and is an approved analyst under the Road Traffic Act of South Australia. Michaela has presented evidence in District and Magistrate’s courts and given lectures on forensic toxicology to South Australian Police, external clients and the public.
Michaela has interests in post-mortem toxicology, particularly in relation to child death, and in the use of hair testing as evidence of drug exposure. She has presented at international conferences and supervised post-graduate students undertaking novel and applied research. Michaela has published in and peer-reviewed for scientific journals.
Michaela is a member of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), the Society of Hair Testing (SOHT) and co-editor of the FACTA newsletter.
Matt Hosking
Technical Operation Manager
Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) Limited
Kenepuru, Wellington, New Zealand
secretary@facta.org.au
Matt holds a Bachelors degree in Chemistry and has been working in various roles within ESR over the last 18 years. He is currently the Operation Manager for the Toxicology, Blood Alcohol, Workplace Drug Testing and Pharmaceuticals groups within ESR.
He has given evidence in many criminal, coronial and family court cases in New Zealand and is an Approved Analyst under the New Zealand Land Transport Act.
He is a member of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT) and is a board member of the Forensic and Clinical Toxicology Association of Australasia (FACTA).
A/Prof Jennifer Schumann
Senior Research Fellow
Head, Drug Harm Prevention Unit
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University
A/Prof Jennifer Schumann (née Pilgrim) is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Drug Harm Prevention Unit at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. She is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University. A/Prof Schumann has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Pharmacology (2006) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Forensic Medicine (2011) from Monash University.
In 2014, A/Prof Schumann was a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institute and National Board of Forensic Medicine, Sweden, and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, supported by a Victoria Fellowship and an Australian French Association for Science and Technology Fellowship. She is a Chief Investigator on a current NHMRC Project Grant in collaboration with University of Sydney and has received a number of awards and travel grants in recognition of her research. She is a member of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), for which he produces The Toxpod, a podcast about forensic toxicology. He is also a member of The Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), and the Society of Hair Testing (SOHT).
A/Prof Schumann is the Australian Project Leader of the “Toxicolist” project, a multi-national research venture in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and the San Francisco County Medical Examiner’s Office, USA, and has a strong record of prior collaboration with researchers throughout the world. A/Prof Schumann is a member of numerous professional societies. She is Co-Editor of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT) Bulletin and is a member of the Monash Addiction Research Centre.
She has published over 45 articles in the peer-reviewed literature and has presented her research at conferences throughout the world. She is a PhD supervisor and a scientific journal reviewer for some of the top ranked international journals in substance abuse and legal medicine. Her research has stimulated public debate, engaged media and been directly responsible for changes in Australian policy and practice.
Naren Gunja
Clinical & Forensic Toxicologist
Western Sydney Health
A/Prof Naren Gunja is a Clinical Toxicologist at Western Sydney, working at the toxicology units in Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals. He is a fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and the American College of Medical Toxicology. A/Prof Gunja has published extensively in toxicology and provides consultation advice at the NSW Poisons Information Centre.
He has a masters degree in forensic toxicology and is Clinical Associate Professor at Sydney Medical school teaching pharmacology and medication safety.
Amanda Thompson
Senior Chemist – Forensic Toxicology
Queensland Health Forensic & Scientific Services
Amanda holds a Masters in Forensic Sciences from University of Canberra, as well as a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and Bachelor of Technology (Forensic & Analytical Chemistry) from Flinders University. Amanda started her career in 2004 in the Forensic Toxicology laboratory at Forensic Science South Australia before moving north to Brisbane in 2011. Her main duties are in the post-mortem area as well as being hair testing coordinator, method validations, method development and LCMS maintenance.
Amanda’s main areas of interest include post-mortem toxicology, hair testing, and method development and validation. She has presented at several FACTA meetings and has published in peer reviewed scientific journals.
Amanda is also a member of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), the Society of Hair Testing (SOHT) and was recently the editor of FACTA News.