Mrs Joanna Sorensen

I joined LSBU in September 2022 after teaching at City & Islington College (CANDI) for 18 years. At LSBU, my role is the School Group Subject Lead for Applied Sciences, where I am responsible for overseeing the implementation of new HNC and HTQ courses in Forensic Science, Biology and Chemistry in partnership with the LSBTC, and supporting the development of the delivery of these courses. I also deliver lectures in Forensic Biology and Statistics on the Forensic Science undergraduate degree at LSBU and I am the Outreach Lead for the forensic science team.

I have experience of course development, management and teaching on Further Education and Higher Education Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation courses. I previously worked as a Forensic DNA Analyst for the Forensic Science Service where I routinely carried out DNA profiling and interpretation procedures on items of evidence from different live criminal investigations submitted by the Metropolitan Police, from burglaries to murder cases. I have an MSc in Forensic Science from Kings College London, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from Greenwich University and I am a member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
At CANDI, I was the forensic science BTEC course manager, tutor and lecturer at levels three to six. My areas of expertise are in forensic biological evidence and analysis, and I have an in-depth knowledge of crime-scene and forensic investigation techniques. My areas of specialism also cover the research method process and statistics and I delivered modules in research methods, statistical analysis of data and research ethics as well as supported student research projects.
While at CANDI, I worked closely with teams from both Queen Mary University and London Metropolitan University, to help set up a foundation and undergraduate degrees in crime scene and forensic investigation. I was instrumental in the development of the course curriculum, module content, teaching materials and assessment methods.
In the past, I have also worked with Pearson Edexcel writing teaching specifications, assessment material and teacher support guidance for the forensic science-based units for their suite of BTEC courses in forensic science and applied science GCSE qualifications. I also worked as part of a team with Pearsons to help rewrite and edit the Forensic Science pathway for the BTEC National Diploma Applied Science and trained as an External Standards Verifier. I authored the forensic science chapter for the BTEC applied science textbook and teacher planning pack published by Edexcel/Pearson. The textbook covers the different units on the applied science BTEC course and is aimed as a support guide to learners. (Annets, F., Foale, S., Hartley, J., Hocking, S., Hudson, L., Kelly, T., Llewellyn, R., Musa, I., and Sorensen, J. 2010. BTEC Level 3 National Applied Science Student Book. Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.).