Lata Gautam

Dr. Lata Gautam is an Associate Professor in Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Cambridge, UK. She specializes in forensic and analytical chemistry with a focus on drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) investigation and equitable STEM representation. Her roles include serving as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Education: PhD in Forensic Science (ARU, 2007), MSc and BSc in Plant Science/Chemistry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She has held postdoctoral roles in environmental sciences and worked at Nepal’s National Forensic Science Laboratory.

Research focuses on chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of drugs in hair/water, DFSA awareness campaigns across 10+ countries, and barriers for B.A.ME students in STEM. She led £89k Drinkaware research on DFSA and secured RSC grants for diversity initiatives and forensic capacity-building in Nepal.

Awards include UNESCO recognition (2018) and poster prizes at international conferences. Active in public engagement via BBC radio interviews, workshops in Botswana/India, and keynote speeches at global forensic science conferences.

Supervises 8+ graduate students across DFSA, drug profiling, and toxicology. Manages research teams collaborating with institutions in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Lab work includes wastewater drug analysis and eco-friendly forensics.