Meet Ciaran Phillip

From St. Kitts and Nevis! Meet Ciaran Phillip!  Ciaran is an alumnus of the University of the Virgin Islands where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with summa cum laude honours. He then went on to study for a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science at the Virginia Commonwealth University. There he completed an independent research project that developed forensic signatures to identify a scorched matchstick’s type (safety, strike-anywhere, or waterproof) and commercial brand.

He presented talks on his research at the 65th Anniversary Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the 2013 Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists.After graduating from his master’s program Ciaran was hired by the St. Kitts and Nevis Police Force as the first ever civilian Crime Scene Investigator and Forensic Services Technician. There he contributed immensely to the development of the Crime Scene Unit into the Forensic Department—so much so that after the Police Force’s Forensic Laboratory was built in 2018 he became its first Manager. During his near six year tenure as a specialist in the Police Force he worked as a Crime Scene Manager, Double Casting Technician, Firearm and Tool Marks Examiner, Fingerprint Examiner and Forensic Laboratory Officer. He examined over 500 crime scenes and is a court recognized expert witness. As an adept scientist, Ciaran has been invited to speak at several career fairs and mentored individuals about the importance of alternative career pathways, specifically in STEM. .

Ciaran’s greatest aspiration is to one day commission his own Forensic Science Laboratory in St. Kitts and Nevis to continue enhancing the administration of justice through scientific analysis of physical evidence.
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