Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Black of Strome
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Black at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, 2017
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 17 May 2021 Life Peerage |
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| Personal details | |
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Susan Margaret Gunn
7 May 1961 Inverness, Scotland |
| Political party | None (crossbencher) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Aberdeen |
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| Scientific career | |
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| Thesis | Identification from the Human Skeleton (1986) |
Susan Margaret Black, Baroness Black of Strome, born Susan Margaret Gunn on 7 May 1961, is a Scottish scientist. She is a forensic anthropologist, an expert in studying human remains to help solve mysteries. She is also an anatomist, someone who studies the structure of living things.
Professor Black has held important roles at universities. She was a leader at Lancaster University and the President of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. She also taught at the University of Dundee for many years. Today, she is the President of St John's College, Oxford. In 2024, she was honored by being inducted into the Order of the Thistle.
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Early Life and Learning
Susan Margaret Gunn was born in Inverness, Scotland, on May 7, 1961. She went to school at Inverness Royal Academy.
She then studied at the University of Aberdeen. In 1982, she earned a degree in human anatomy. She continued her studies and received a PhD in 1986. Her PhD research was about how to identify people from their skeletons.
Career and Discoveries
In 1987, Professor Black began teaching anatomy at St Thomas' Hospital in London. This was the start of her career in forensic anthropology. She worked there until 1992.
From 1992 to 2003, she worked on special projects. She helped the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Nations. Her job was to identify people who were victims of conflicts. In 1999, she led the British forensic team in Kosovo. She also worked in Sierra Leone and Grenada.
In 2003, she went to Iraq twice for her work. In 2005, she helped identify victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Thailand. This was a huge international effort.
In 2003, Professor Black became a professor at the University of Dundee. In 2005, she created a special center there. It was called the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID). This center teaches students about forensic anthropology and anatomy. Her team also trained police and scientists. They learned how to identify victims of disasters.
Professor Black is known for new ways to identify people. She developed methods using photos of hands or arms. These techniques have become very helpful in solving crimes.
She also helped start important groups for forensic science. These include the British Association for Human Identification. She also co-founded the British Association for Forensic Anthropology.
In 2018, Professor Black moved to Lancaster University. She became a Pro-Vice-Chancellor, helping the university connect with the public. In 2021, she was chosen to be the next President of St John's College, Oxford.
Working in the House of Lords
In 2021, Professor Black was given a special role. She was appointed to the House of Lords. This is part of the UK Parliament. She became a life peer, which means she holds the title for life. She is a crossbencher, meaning she doesn't belong to a specific political party.
On April 26, 2021, she was given the title Baroness Black of Strome. She gave her first speech in the House of Lords on June 15, 2021.
Media Appearances
Professor Black has shared her work with many people. She was on the BBC Two show History Cold Case in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, she was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK. This was by BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. She was also featured on The Life Scientific in 2014.
In 2014, she appeared in a documentary. It looked back at the forensic work after the 2004 tsunami. In 2015, she was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. She chose songs by artists like The Corries and Gerry Rafferty. Her favorite song was "Highland Cathedral." In 2018, she was a guest on BBC's Hard Talk.
In 2022, Professor Black gave the famous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Her lectures were titled "Secrets of Forensic Science."
Personal Life
Professor Black is married to Tom. They went to school and university together. They have three daughters.
She supports several charities. These include Locate International and Escape2Make. She is also a patron of Archaeology Scotland.
Awards and Special Honors
Professor Black has received many awards for her work.
- In 2005, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
- She also became a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
- In 2008, she received the Lucy Mair Medal.
- She was also praised by the police for her disaster victim identification training.
- In 2009, she won the Brian Cox Award for Public Engagement.
Her team at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification also won awards.
- In 2012, they received the Stephen Fry Award.
- In 2013, they won the Queen's Anniversary Award for Higher Education.
- In 2014, she received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. This was for her research on identifying people from their hands.
In 2001, Professor Black was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was for her work in forensic anthropology in Kosovo. In 2016, she was promoted to Dame Commander (DBE). This is a very high honor.
In 2017, the University of St Andrews gave her an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree. In 2019, she received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Aberdeen. Her daughter also graduated from law school at the same ceremony. Her book, All That Remains: A Life in Death, won the Saltire Book of the Year award in 2018.
A large portrait of Professor Black, called Unknown Man, hangs in the National Galleries of Scotland. In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). In 2024, King Charles III appointed her as a Lady Companion of the Order of the Thistle.
