Mickayla Dustin

Ms. Mickayla Dustin has a Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry. She joined PHF Science (The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science), formerly known as ESR (Institute of Environmental Science and Research), in Auckland, New Zealand, as a Senior Technician in the Physical Evidence team in 2015. In her role, Ms. Dustin provides technical support to senior scientists, predominately on trace evidence analyses. She attended crime scenes that the Service Centre and Firearm examiners at PHF Science attend, between 2018 and 2022, which involved capturing relevant crime scenes she attended with their FARO terrestrial laser scanner. In addition, in 2019, she was trained in the processing of laser scans. To date, she has processed and sent out ~50 captured crime scenes and technically reviewed ~45 captured crime scenes which her colleagues have processed. Ms. Dustin has recently become a member of the Digital Imaging Technical Advisory Group (DITAG) as part of the Electronic Evidence Specialist Advisory Group (EESAG) under the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS). This group helps update Australia/NZ guidelines relating to digital imaging.