School of Law & Social Sciences

Reader in Law

T: +44 (0) 141 331 8780
E:M.Bromby@gcu.ac.uk
Fax: +44 (0)141 331 3798 
Centre: http://www.cfslr.ed.ac.uk/

Blog: UKCLE - Digital Directions
Wiki: Caledonian Scholar

Second Life: Forensic Michalak

Director: Innocence Project
Academia.edu Page
LinkedIn Page

General introduction

Michael Bromby is employed as a reader in law and was previously a research fellow with the Joseph Bell Centre for Forensic Statistics and Legal Reasoning. The Centre is based at the School of Law and the School of Mathematics at The University of Edinburgh the Law Department at Glasgow Caledonian University, and in association with the Lothian and Borders Police Forensic Laboratories.

Michael graduated from the University of Stirling with BSc (Hons) in Molecular and Cell Biology and subsequently from Edinburgh University with an LLM, specialising in Medical Jurisprudence, Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence & Legal Reasoning. He also holds a Diploma in Forensic Medical Sciences from The Society of Apothecaries and Glasgow University and is a member of the Institute of Educational Assessors. Prior to his current appointment, Michael was a technical consultant for a company specialising in police software solutions and facial composite systems.

As an Executive Member of the British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (www.bileta.ac.uk), Michael organised the 23rd Annual Conference at Glasgow Caledonian University. Michael also does work for the UK Centre for Legal Education (www.ukcle.ac.uk), the Higher Education Academy's Subject Centre for law, including their blog - Digital Directions.

Academic and scholarly interests

The Joseph Bell Centre is a multidisciplinary centre aims to investigate the correct evaluation, presentation and presentation of forensic evidence and the introduction and implementation of ‘best practice’ procedures within legal offices and police departments. The need for accuracy and improvement in this area has been highlighted by the recent media attention paid to DNA profiling and by the Royal Commission on Miscarriages of Justice. The Centre will also investigate statistically appropriate and legally valid processes, captured and described using artificial techniques, with the aim of preventing miscarriages of justice.

Michael’s main research areas lie in facial recognition; his LLM dissertation examined the reliability and accuracy of automatic facial recognition systems as a tool for identification via CCTV cameras, and his DipFMS dissertation concentrated on Expert Evidence in the UK. As a biochemist, he also carries an interest in DNA profiling, blood typing and other biological and forensic methods of identification for both civil and criminal systems.

Positions and responsibilities

• Chair of the School's Research Ethics Group that oversees the ethical scrutiny of all research involving human participants by both staff and students within the school
• Chair of the School's E-learning Group that reports to the Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee
• Executive Member of the British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA)
• Associate Editor of the International Review of Law, Computers and Technology, published by Taylor & Francis
• Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Information Law and Technology (via BILETA)
• Research Fellow with the Joseph Bell Centre for Forensic Statistics and Legal Reasoning at Edinburgh University
• Guest Lecturer at the Unit for Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee
• Member of the Academy Scotland Practitioners Forum, Higher Education Academy
• Member of the British Association of Human Identification (BAHID), and previously secretary for the Forensic Image Analysis Group within the Association
• Member of the Research Ethics Committee and the Glasgow Royal Infirmary (flagged as a specialist committee for Tissue Bank applications) and previously a National Auditor for COREC
• Panel Member of the Children's Hearing System that considers and makes decisions on the welfare of the child or young person before them, including offending behaviour in place of the criminal court system in Scotland

Knowledge Transfer and Income Generation

Knowledge Transfer and Income Generation
2010 The International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research (ICCCR), The Open University funding for Workshop Funding for an event on visual representations of evidence (£3,000)

2009 – 2010 Institute for Advanced Studies (based at University of Strathclyde)
Programme of interdisciplinary work involving academics, practitioners, policy makers and support groups based upon Miscarriages of Justice in Scotland (£25,000)

2008 – 2010 Caledonian Academy Scholarship
 Action research project to develop blended learning online seminars (£2,000)

2008 – 2009 Strategic Investment & Development Fund
Start-up cost to develop an Innocence Network UK Project (£3,000)

2008 - 2009 Academy Scotland (HEA) Travel Fund (£300); follow-on Travel Fund (£300)

2008  Second Life Competition to pilot a legal education scheme (SL$ award)

2008  BILETA Annual Conference and additional workshops
Internationally attended, turnover (£23,000); income generated (£6,000)

2005 – 2008 KTP project (Serendipity Interactive Ltd)
To develop, using public key infrastructure (PKI) and biometric technologies, a legally compliant and secure framework for the verification and non-repudiation of personal digital identity.  Nominated Supervisor / Academic Adviser for Research Associate (£76,000)

2004 – 2007 KTP project (Kennedys Patents)
To develop integrated practice management systems to interface with staff on multiple sites, clients, Patent and Trade Mark offices and associate firms which conforms to appropriate software development methodology.  Academic Adviser (following retiral of lead academic.  Nominated for KTP project award in 2009 (£76,000)

2003 – 2007 Facial Imagery Analysis Group
Secretary and joint group founder; Adviser for publishing best practice guidance; Co-ordinator for developing accreditation by CRFP; Lead, CPD activities and conference organiser; Web editor for the Imagery Analysis section of BAHID (CPD income £3,000)

2001 – 2004 Joseph Bell Centre for Forensic Statistics and Legal Reasoning
Joint bid to the Scottish Funding Council between the law schools of Glasgow Caledonian and Edinburgh, and the Maths department and Artificial Intelligence Institute of Edinburgh to set up a multi-disciplinary centre (£728,000)

Peer Reviewed Publications

Bromby, M. (2010) Identification, trust and privacy. How biometrics can aid certification of digital signatures, International Review of Law, Computers and Technology, Vol. 24, No. 1, March 2010, 1–9 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1561525

Bromby, M., MacMillan, M. & McKellar, P. (2007) An Examination of Criminal Jury Directions in Relation to Eyewitness Identification in Commonwealth Jurisdictions, Common Law World Review Vol. 36 (4), 303-336 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1550728

Bromby, M & Ness, H. (2006) Over-observed?  What Is The Quality Of CCTV In This New Digital Legal World?, International Review of Law, Computers and Technology, March 2006 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1551868

Bromby, M. & Wall, J. (2004) Lessons We’ve Learnt – Knowledge Management In a Police Environment, Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management, Paris 2004. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1562653

Bromby, M., MacMillan, M., & McKellar, P. (2003) A Common-KADS Representation for A Knowledge Based System To Evaluate Eyewitness Identification, International Review of Law Computers and Technology, Vol. 17, No. 1: pp 99 – 108 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1561507

Bromby, M. (2003) At Face Value?  The Use of Facial Mapping and CCTV Image Analysis for Identification, New Law Journal, 28 February 2003 Vol. 153, No. 7069, pp302-304 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1562655

Bromby, M. & Hall, J.  (2002) The Development and Rapid Evolution of the Knowledge Model of ADVOKATE: An Advisory System to Assess the Credibility of Eyewitness Testimony, in Legal Knowledge and Information Systems JURIX 2002: The Fifteenth Annual Conference. Eds. T. Bench-Capon, A. Daskalopulu & R. Winkels.  IOS Press, Amsterdam, Netherlands: pp.143-152 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1561509

Bromby, M. (2002) To Be Taken At Face Value? Computerised Identification, Information Communication Technology Law Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1: pp 63 – 73 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1561523

Other Published Papers

Bromby, M. (2008) Beyond chip and PIN, Journal of Law Society in Scotland, July, p. 50 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1561569

Bromby, M. (2008) Scotland's First Innocence Project, SCOLAG Legal Journal, December, p. 297 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1561512

Bromby, M. (2007) Expert Evidence and Identification Procedures, Journal of Beijing People's Police College, 107 (1) 100-103 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1561572

Bromby M (2006) Security against Crime: Technologies for Detecting and Preventing Crime, International Review of Law, Computers and Technology, Editorial, March 2006 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1561578

Bromby M (2006) CCTV and Expert Evidence: Addressing the Reliability of New Sciences, Archbold News, Issue 9, 02 November 2006, pp. 6-9 http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1551791

Bromby, M. (2004) Criminal Justice Information Management Systems: Past, Present and Future, Proceedings of the UK Academy of Information Systems (UKAIS) conference 2004.  ISBN: 1-903661-56-0 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1562657

Schafer, B. & Bromby, M. (2004) Wie Rashomon seine Nemesys fand – expertensysteme zum Zeugenbeweis. In H. Wittmann (ed.) Gerechtigkeits-wissenschaft. Wissenschaftsverlag, Berlin pp. 23-33

Bowie, L., Plews, S. & Bromby, M. (2004) When Evidence is a Question of Image, Law Gazette, 13/05/2004 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1561622

Bromby, M & Britton, A. (2004) Vulnerable Witnesses - Changes to Scottish Legislation, in Czerederecka, A., Jaskiewicz, T., Roesch, R. and Wojcikiewicz, J. (Eds) Forensic Psychology and Law: Facing the Challenges of a Changing World, Institute of Forensic Research Publishers, Krakow, Poland http://ssrn.com/abstract=1562667

Bromby, M. & Plews, S. (2003) Facing up to Change?, E-L@w Review, Issue 13, October 2003, pp 1-3 http://ssrn.com/abstract=1561606

Bromby, M. (2000) Computerised Facial Recognition Systems: The Surrounding Legal Problems, LLM Dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Edinburgh http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1551840

Online Resources

Bromby, M. et al. (2009-present) Innocence and Miscarriages of Justice: An Annotated Bibliography, A categorised compilation of published work, created by staff and students attached to the GCU Innocence Project – http://www.delicious.com/InnocenceProject

Bromby, M. (2008-10) Online Seminars - An International Perspective on Problem Based Learning
Wiki containing resources for learning and teaching - http://bromby-scholar.pbworks.com

Bromby, M. (2007-present) Digital Directions, Blog for the UK Centre for Legal Education, Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy – http://www.ukcle.typepad.com

Bromby, M., MacMillan, M. & McKellar, P. (2003) ADVOKATE – A Resource for Learning the Law of Evidence, Showcase of courseware in the UK for law schools, UK Centre for Legal Education - http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/ict/advokate.html


Conferences and Seminars: Recent


2010
British and Irish Law, Education and Technology (BILETA 2010)
Presentation on collaborative learning, shared resources and intellectual property issues
29-31 March 2010, University of Vienna, Austria

UK Jury Research Symposium (Institute for Advanced Studies Programme)
Co-organised the event for jury researchers.  Presentation on jurors and twitter
25-26 March, 2010, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Strathclyde, UK

Learning in Law Annual Conference (LILAC 2010)
Paper on the use of non-conventional references in legal research
29-30 January 2010, University of Warwick, UK

2009
AHRC Brain Imaging Event
Presented paper on Brain imaging: consent issues, and licensing of storage and analysis
11 December 2009, University of Edinburgh, UK http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1561762

GCU Departmental Seminar
Paper on the work of the GCU Innocence Project during National Pro Bono Week
10 November 2009, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

UKCLE Scotland Event
Paper on the use of technology for legal education
5 November 2009, Edinburgh, UK

IAS Workshop (Institute for Advanced Studies Programme)
Organised workshops for students to compile an annotated bibliography
26-29 October, 2009, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Strathclyde, UK

IAS Workshop (Institute for Advanced Studies Programme)
Organised workshops on educational aspects of innocence projects
17-18 September, 2009, Institute for Advanced Studies, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

IAS Workshop (Institute for Advanced Studies Programme)
Organised workshops on miscarriages of justice and presented paper on statistics
24-26 August 2009, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Strathclyde, UK

Lowering the Drawbridge: law and forensic science education in the 21st century
Attended and participated in debate on how the two disciplines are taught
27 May 2009, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK

E-learning Colloquium
Electronic poster presentations of a discussion forum project, and of a Second Life project
14 May 2009, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK

British and Irish Law, Education and Technology (BILETA 2009)
Paper on the availability and use of legal resources in Second Life
21-23 April 2009, University of Winchester, UK

Commonwealth Law Conference (CLC 2009)
Paper on the internationalisation of the undergraduate legal curriculum
5-9 April 2009, Hong Kong, PR China

Commonwealth Legal Education Association Conference (CLEA 2009)
Paper on medical law and collaborative teaching
1-2 April 2009, City University, Hong Kong, PR China

Psychology Departmental Seminar
Presentation on innocence projects
12 March 2009, University of Stirling, UK

Learning in Law Annual Conference (LILAC 2009)
Presentation on the use of Second Life in legal education
23-24 January 2009, University of Warwick, UK
2008

Human Tissue Bank Training
Presentation on the law relating to the retention of tissue samples in a bank
1 August 2008, NHS Greater Glasgow, UK

International Association of Cranio-facial Identification (IACI 2008)
Led a workshop on the legal implications of facial identification techniques
14 July, University of Dundee, UK

UKCLE Creativity Event
Presentation on how to develop creative and effective delivery of materials
23 June 2008, Aston University, Birmingham, UK

E-learning Tools for Legal Education
Presentation on the use of social network tools for teaching
12 June 2008, University College London, UK

SIPR Workshop
Presented on research ethics in policing research
30 May 2008, University of Dundee, UK

British and Irish Law, Education and Technology (BILETA 2008)
Organised the conference and co-authored a paper on digital signatures and secure identity
26-28 March 2008, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK