Dr Niki Osborne works with Professor William Thompson in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society to examine and address human factor issues in the interpretation of forensic evidence. Her research, funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is primarily focused on the role of contextual information and the mitigation of cognitive and contextual bias in the interpretation of bloodstain pattern and handwriting evidence.
Niki gained her PhD in Psychology through the University of Otago, New Zealand, and is working at UCI as an International J-1 Scholar. Niki is actively involved in several committees that are tasked with improving the practice of forensic science. She also regularly trains and advises forensic scientists and crime scene investigators around the world on bias in forensic science. Much of Niki’s research can be found in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Science and Justice, and Forensic Science International.
Niki won third place for her poster presentation at our recent UCI Postdoc Research Symposium.