Ross forensic jeweller is step closer to FBI dream job
A YOUNG PhD researcher from Ross-shire has emerged as a world expert on identifying dead people from their jewellery, and is moving to America to follow her dream of working with organisations like the FBI.
Maria Maclennan, who currently lives in Glasgow but grew up in Muir of Ord, is the UK’s only ‘forensic jeweller’ and regularly provides the police and local authorities with advice on jewellery recovered with human remains.
The 25-year-old recently completed a one-month deployment to a police mortuary in South Africa following a major disaster, and also spent six months working with the national College of Policing in Hampshire.
While progressing her award-winning PhD research into forensic jewellery - which is the first of its kind in the world - at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, Maria has landed a three-month research position at the prestigious John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, bringing her a step closer to her reaching her ambitions.
She said: “My ultimate pipe dream would be to work as a designer for the FBI or M16, however failing that, I would love to set up forensic jewellery as a consultancy business, providing services to law enforcement and the public.
“I have already worked as a designer and research assistant on a broad range of projects linked to both INTERPOL and the Home Office.”
Maria received a full fellowship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to allow her to study in the States.
High profile organisations like the FBI, Harvard Medical School, Tiffany & Co. and the New York City Police Department have already expressed interests in her work. But despite the international attention, Maria is still a down-to-earth girl and credits her Ross-shire roots for helping her achieve her ambitions.
The former pupil of Maryburgh Primary School and Dingwall Academy said: “I put a lot of my successes down to my education and upbringing in the Highlands, which I am very proud of.
“My mother, Margo Fraser, is very creative and I was very lucky to have her full backing and support in applying to art college, as I know several individuals whose parents have not been as supportive. I was also lucky enough to have great teachers in art, design, craft and technology whilst at school at Dingwall Academy. Mrs Livingston’s art and design classes were always a highlight for me, with her having introduced a jewellery component to the Higher programme for the first time.
“My favourite classes were always Higher graphic communication and Higher product design with Mr Robertson - definitely a reason I pursued more of a technical, design-led career path rather than an artistic one.”
How can a dead person’s trinkets help lead to their identification when conventional methods have failed?
Maria explained: “Jewellery is one of the oldest forms and key indicators of identity, interestingly enough, pre-dating all forms of science.
“One of jewellery’s strengths in forensic identification is due to its inherently symbolic nature. Jewellery has personal, religious and cultural significance with connections to geographical region.
“Jewellery can also be highly symbolic of the relationship it represents. It might have been presented as a gift, passed down through generations or signify a significant personal or public relationship.
“The likelihood is that most of us reading this article are wearing something that is unique and specific to us, perhaps a family heirloom or bespoke piece, an adjustment or alteration made specifically for us or an item we wear every day without fail.”
Maria also points out that jewellery can often be very physically robust, meaning it can withstand extreme environments
