{"id":31080,"date":"2026-04-30T09:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T01:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=31080"},"modified":"2026-04-30T11:50:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:50:58","slug":"fulbright-scholar-taps-plant-based-science-for-next-generation-forensic-tools","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/fulbright-scholar-taps-plant-based-science-for-next-generation-forensic-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Fulbright scholar taps plant-based science for next-generation forensic tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A leading American forensic chemist will collaborate with Curtin University researchers to develop low-cost, rapid detection tools for dangerous and illicit substances, using naturally occurring plant pigments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provost Associate Professor of Chemistry at American University Dr Raychelle Burks<\/a>, will spend time at Curtin in 2026\u201327 as a Fulbright US Scholar, following an award from the US Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said she was delighted to welcome Dr Burks to Curtin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDr Burks is internationally recognised for her work in forensic and analytical chemistry, and we are proud to host her as part of this important global exchange,\u201d Professor Hayne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaboration reflects Curtin\u2019s commitment to impactful, internationally connected research that addresses real-world challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with Professor Simon Lewis<\/a> and Dr Georgina Sauzier<\/a> from the Forensic and Analytical Chemistry Research Group within Curtin\u2019s School of Molecular and Life Sciences<\/a>, Dr Burks will investigate how anthocyanins, which are natural pigments found in plants, can act as colour-based sensors to detect substances of international concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research aims to deliver faster, more accessible screening methods for substances such as illicit drugs, explosives and chemical warfare agents used in a wide range of environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Burks said the project was driven by a shared commitment to \u201cfrugal forensics<\/a>\u201d and developing reliable, high-quality forensic tools that remain effective even in resource-limited settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnthocyanins are globally abundant and highly responsive compounds, making them promising candidates for simple, low-cost chemical detection,\u201d Dr Burks said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to collaborate with Curtin researchers to explore how these natural materials can be harnessed to improve safety and detection capabilities worldwide, particularly in regions where access to advanced forensic technologies is limited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Lewis said the collaboration would strengthen Curtin\u2019s growing expertise in innovative and accessible forensic science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis partnership brings together complementary strengths to tackle complex detection challenges in a practical and scalable way,\u201d Professor Lewis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting opportunity to advance new approaches that could make forensic science more equitable and widely available.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fulbright award recipients, chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, play a pivotal role in fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A leading American forensic chemist will collaborate with Curtin University researchers to develop low-cost, rapid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4307,"featured_media":31081,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"4854,5362,8138,4745,7571,4911","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":284,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[284],"tags":[],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-31080","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-and-engineering"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":[{"title":"","qualification":"","link":"","description":"","faculty":""}],"credits":{"author":"","photographer":"","media":[24386,24388]},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}},"experts":false},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Raychelle-Burks-for-web-1920x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Lucien","last_name":"Wilkinson","display_name":"Lucien Wilkinson"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/31080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/media-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/31080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31080"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=31080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}