British Association for Forensic Anthropology

On the 22nd October 2026 we will be pleased to welcome Chandra Finaughty & Dr Devin Finaughty of the Wildlife Forensic Academy. Together they are joining us to discuss the application of forensic sciences to wildlife crime investigations.

Thursday 22/10/2026, 5.30 p.m. BST

Register for this event here: https://forms.gle/B6xF9rocmd7wHFMS6
We will email you the event link to join online.

BAFA Webinars are free Member events. To join BAFA please visit: Membership – British Association for Forensic Anthropology

About the Speakers

Chandra Finaughty holds two master’s degree within forensic science disciplines and has extensive experience in human-focused forensics with several peer-reviewed publications in the fields of forensic anthropology and forensic genetics. In addition, she has supervised and mentored many postgraduate students in their research and has undergone further professional development in teaching within higher education settings.

Driven by her deep love for South Africa, and desire to contribute to the protection of its nature, Chandra returned to South Africa in May 2024 after five years in the United Kingdom where she worked as a Teaching Fellow in King’s Forensics at King’s College London. With a strong background in academic research, Chandra is undertaking her PhD at the University of Cape Town, which will focus on identifying and overcoming the forensic investigative and prosecutorial barriers in wildlife crime investigation in South Africa. In addition, she is working with the Wildlife Forensic Academy to support their research programme and the delivery of their training courses.

Dr Devin Finaughty is a broadly trained South African forensic scientist, researcher, and higher education teacher specialising in carrion ecology and the decomposition ecosystem. He has forensic casework experience as a consultant for the South African Police Service and Forensic Pathology Service and, more recently, private nature reserves. He has worked as an academic in both South Africa and the UK, holding posts at the Universities of Cape Town (RSA), Witwatersrand (RSA), and Kent (UK). He is an advocate of transdisciplinary research and education that includes all stakeholders and end-users to facilitate development of meaningful solutions to society’s most pressing problems, and few are as presently pressing or widely impactful as wildlife crime. In his current role as Research Director and Laboratory Manager for the Wildlife Forensic Academy, Dr Finaughty leads efforts to advance wildlife forensics – the space where his passions for science, education, justice, and conservation converge.