Miss Jade James
I am a Lecturer in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics and the Module Leader for Level 5 and 7 Digital Forensics. My background combines academic teaching with professional experience in digital forensic investigations. Before joining the University of Westminster, I worked on criminal cases involving extreme material, as well as wider offences such as fraud and murder, supporting the recovery, analysis, and presentation of digital evidence.
I am passionate about connecting classroom learning to real investigative practice. My teaching and supervision draw on current forensic procedures, ethical frameworks, and evidential standards to prepare students for careers in digital forensics and cyber-related roles. I am particularly interested in how practitioners maintain forensic integrity and objectivity when handling sensitive material and high-profile cases.
My research focuses on the professional, ethical, and technical challenges within digital forensic investigation. I co-authored “What you say in the lab, stays in the lab”, published in Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation (2024). The paper explored the lived experiences of digital forensic investigators in the UK, highlighting tensions between investigators, police, and legal professionals, as well as the psychological impact of exposure to distressing evidence. It also examined the growing influence of automation and artificial intelligence in digital forensic practice and the need for stronger collaboration between academia and practitioners.
My emerging research interests build on this work, with a focus on anti-forensics — the intentional concealment, manipulation, or destruction of digital evidence. I am particularly interested in how forensic investigators can identify and counter these tactics to maintain evidential integrity, reliability, and admissibility in court.