Beatrice Blackwood Lecture 2026 with Dame Sue Black

Whilst there may be some truth in the fictionalised world of forensic science, the reality can be surprisingly mundane although hugely rewarding and on occasion utterly ridiculous. Sue Black is the UK’s most experienced forensic anthropologist with over 30-years’ worth of case work in both the UK and overseas.  She will place the importance of her subject within political, investigative, legal and humanitarian domains to illustrate why the discipline has assumed such importance in our modern world of war crimes, mass fatalities, murder and suicides.  Through tracing her life’s work from her first case to her award-winning work in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo and from the recovery of the deceased following the Indian Ocean tsunami to her work on identifying perpetrators of child sexual abuse, she will reveal the real world of forensic anthropology.  It is a fascinating career but it is not for the faint hearted and she will touch on how the practitioner’s wellbeing is addressed and how we prepare trainees for the reality of a world that is sometimes very far removed from what is portrayed in films, TV and novels.

The talk will be followed by a drinks reception and book signing.

About Professor Lady Sue Black LT, DBE, FRS, FRSE, FRAI, FRSB, ChFA

President, St John's College, Oxford and Baroness Black of Strome

Professor Lady Sue Black is the 37th President of St John's College. She took up post on 1 September 2022.

Professor Lady Black is one of the world's leading forensic scientists and was previously the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University, tasked with raising the University's profile locally, regionally and nationally whilst championing the economic growth and regeneration of North West England. She is Visiting Professor of Forensic Anatomy in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics in the University of Oxford. She is also Visiting Professor, Cyber Security Research Centre (Health), Security Lancaster (Academic Centre of Excellence).

Since graduating from the University of Aberdeen in human anatomy and forensic anthropology, Professor Lady Black has had a varied and distinguished academic career, lecturing in Anatomy at St Thomas' Hospital London and working as a consultant in forensic anthropology for both the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, undertaking forensic investigations in Iraq, Sierra Leone and Grenada. She was the lead forensic anthropologist during the international war crimes investigations in Kosovo. From 2003 to 2018 she was Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at Dundee University.

Professor Lady Black was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to Higher Education and Forensic Science and in 2021 entered the House of Lords as a cross bencher peer as Baroness Black of Strome. Professor Black was also the 65th President of the Royal Anthropological Institute and she is the lifetime Professor of Anatomy for the Royal Scottish Academy. In March 2024 Professor Lady Black was appointed to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the highest honour in Scotland.

Professor Lady Black has written widely and her most recent book An Expert Witness (July 2026) follows on from All That Remains and Written in Bone. She has made regular media appearances, including on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and The Life Scientific.