Garth Maker

Garth Maker is an Associate Professor at Murdoch University, affiliated with the Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine and the School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences within the College of Environmental and Life Sciences. His research focuses on the chemical composition of herbal and dietary supplements, employing advanced analytical techniques like mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Collaborations include the University of Adelaide School of Medicine and the Australian National Phenome Centre. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Murdoch University (2007) and was awarded the Young Tall Poppy Science Award in 2016.

Research interests span toxicology, medical biochemistry, metabolomics, and forensic applications. Key areas include evaluating supplement quality/safety, neurotoxicology, drug-facilitated crimes, and metabolomic profiling of biological systems. His work aims to develop safety assessment frameworks for herbal medicines and dietary supplements.

Publications highlight innovations in forensic entomology, burn injury metabolism, and drug contamination detection. He advocates for interdisciplinary approaches in forensic investigations and STEM education. Current projects include environmental DNA analysis for crime scene evidence and metabolic biomarker discovery for clinical applications.