National Chemistry Week: Kingston University chemistry expert invited to give lecture at famous Royal Institution

Head of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kingston University Dr Baljit Thatti was recently invited to give a lecture at world renowned scientific education and research organisation the Royal Institution. As part of National Chemistry Week this week (10-16 November 2025), Dr Thatti discusses her lecture which looked at chemistry’s role in solving crimes.

In the hidden world of forensic chemistry, miniscule molecules can tell us stories and invisible traces can provide key information for achieving justice. From fingerprints to fibres and even lipsticks, I was invited to give a lecture on how chemistry provides voices to silent evidence through use of analytical techniques, through the lens of my forensic chemistry expertise.

It was an honour to be invited to give a talk at such a prestigious institution and my lecture was attended by around 200 delegates, with a further 100 people watching my address on the Royal Institution’s live stream.

During my lecture I discussed Locard’s Exchange Principle, formulated by criminologist Dr Edmond Locard, and how it has been crucial to how forensic science is today. The principle is around how the perpetrator of a crime will leave something at the scene of the crime, while also taking something away from it. It’s all about every contact leaving a trace meaning investigators can often link suspects to a crime through evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, fibres or footprints.

I love opportunities, like this, to share my knowledge with the wider world. It was a great experience that enabled me to showcase, not only the research taking place at Kingston University, but to also demonstrate to the young members in the audience the impact chemistry has on forensic science.

Unknown to me at the time, Professor Lorna Dawson who is an experienced forensic chemist and has worked on some large cases, was in the audience. She had contributed to the well-known Emma Faulds murder case, with the perpetrator’s boots linking him to the crime – another example of how crucial chemistry is to forensic science.

As a result of this talk, I have had schoolteachers contact me and invite me along to their schools to inspire more women into chemistry, which is a topic close to my heart.

Over the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to receive multiple grants for outreach and inclusion initiatives and have had the opportunity to deliver the message of chemistry being fundamental in unlocking crimes – something I am hugely passionate about. I also actively contribute to the Royal Society of Chemistry, serving on various committees and won the 2024 award for exceptional service to the organisation.

Chemistry plays an integral part in everyday life such as food security, plastic pollution, developing alternative energies and synthesising new medicines and materials. It really is all around us and a part of everything we do.

• Watch Dr Thatti’s live talk at the Royal Institute on YouTube. 
• Find out more about studying Chemistry BSc (Hons)  or Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons) at Kingston University.