Ciaran Ewins

Ciaran Ewins is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland. He leads the BSc (Hons) Forensic Science and BSc (Hons) Criminal Justice and Forensic Science programmes. He is an External Examiner at the University of Stirling (2018–2022). His research focuses on applying chemical techniques like infrared spectroscopy and quantitative NMR for forensic and environmental analysis, particularly microplastics and trace evidence.

Research interests include microplastic accumulation in marine environments, forensic applications of FTIR microscopy, and biodiesel analysis. He actively collaborates with environmental scientists and forensic practitioners. Ewins is also engaged in chemistry outreach to schools and the public through workshops like 'Bubbles Slime and Dry Ice' and conferences such as Scotland's International Marine Conference 2019.

• Awards: Royal Society of Edinburgh Annual Inspiration Award (2005).
• Advising: Accepting PhD students in microscopy/spectroscopy of microplastics and FTIR analysis of street drugs.

Notable research contributions include studies on microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates and their impact on marine ecosystems.