Dr John Denman
Contact Details
Tel: +61 8 8302 5529
Fax: +61 8 8302 3683
Email: john.denman@unisa.edu.au
Position
ToF-SIMS Technologist
Qualifications
BTech BSc(Hons) Flinders, PhD UniSA
Background
John is a Forensic and Analytical Chemistry graduate and has an Honours
Degree in Science from Flinders University. He completed his PhD at the Ian
Wark Research Institute in late 2007 and has since taken up the position of
ToF-SIMS Technologist with Scientific Services.
His first experience with ToF-SIMS was during his Honours project, where the
technique was utilised to investigate the elemental variation within float
glass samples. This was an important precursor to proving the effectiveness
of ToF-SIMS as a technique which could provide elemental forensic
discrimination, in addition to current refractive index measurements. He
gained expertise in ToF-SIMS during his PhD in Applied Science at The Wark,
where he expanded on the forensic applications of the technique to include
questioned document examination. With trace characterisation and advanced
statistical interrogation, John was able to utilise ToF-SIMS to successfully
discriminate between ballpoint pen inks and pencil markings from a range of
manufacturers.
John’s current role as ToF-SIMS Technologist is to provide specialised
expertise in ToF-SIMS for The Wark’s consultancy and research projects and
the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility’s (AMMRF) user
community. In particular, he is responsible for the commissioning,
operation, maintenance and scheduling of the AMMRF flagship ToF-SIMS
instrument installed at The Wark in early 2009. John will additionally be involved
in research towards the development and implementation of new analytical
methodologies and protocols to extend the utilisation of ToF-SIMS to new
fields of research.
Recent Publications
Denman, J.A., Kempson, I.M., Skinner, W.M. & Kirkbride, K.P. (2008)
‘Discrimination of pencil markings on paper using elemental analysis: An
initial investigation’, For Sci Int, 175, pp.123-129.
Coumbaros, J., Denman, J., Kirkbride, K.P., Walker, G.S., Skinner, W. (2008)
‘An investigation into Spatial Elemental Distribution within a Pane of Glass
by Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry’, J For Sci, 53(2),
pp.312-320.