Katelynn A. Perrault

Meet Katelynn A. Perrault

Early inspiration
My career as a Professor allows me to balance three things I love: teaching, research, and outreach. Teaching helps me guide others to paths that bring them fulfillment. Research leads me to exciting discoveries that can improve our world. Outreach fosters a personal connection with my community through science.

Research
I develop advanced chromatographic strategies for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that comprise odors. In forensic science, we can use odor as an investigative tool. Though odor is invisible evidence that has long been overlooked, it has the potential to bring a vast amount of information to forensic casework in the future.

Objective
I hope to become internationally recognized as an expert in my field for the quality of my work and dedication to my discipline. I aspire to advance alongside the cutting-edge developments in separation science so I can continue to advocate for new technology implementation in the forensic science community.

Advice
Learn to wear different hats. Don’t be limited by defining yourself as one single type of scientist. We live in a world where multidisciplinary research, collaboration, and innovation are paramount to forward movement. Imagination does not grow when we constrain ourselves by a single perspective on something.

Nominator comment:“Kate’s career thus far has been a tour de force, changing the way we understand odor evidence in forensic science. She leads dynamic programs in teaching, research, and outreach that are more effective than any I have seen before. Kate understands that quality science needs quality communication.”