Professor Turi King

Professor Turi King is a scientist, presenter, speaker and author who is passionate about communicating science to the public.

Turi uses genetics in the fields of forensics, history, genealogy, and archaeology, and is known for ‘cracking one of the biggest forensic DNA cases in history’ – the identification of the remains of King Richard III. 

Radio and Podcasts

In 2024, Turi presented Head Number 7 (Wondery+), where she examined the ‘Harvard Morgue Scandal’ discovering more about the people who donated their bodies, only to be sold for parts online. Turi asks the question, who owns your body after you die? 

Turi presented Genetics and the Longer Arm of the Law, and has appeared on The Life Scientific, Inside Science, The Today Programme, The Infinite Monkey Cage and The Reunion (Radio 4), among others.

Film work

2023 was another busy year for Turi as she co-presented a third series of the popular DNA Family Secrets alongside Stacey Dooley (BBC Two).

She also co-presented Ancient Mysteries Unearthed (Sky History / Curiosity) with Louisiana homicide detective Rod Emery examining what forensic science could bring to bear on six unsolved, ancient murders and she appeared on The Black Death with Dan Snow (Channel 5).

Other credits include Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley (BBC Two), British as Folk (UKTV), The Gadget Show (Channel 5), Cold Case (ZDF Germany), Britain’s Lost Battlefields (Channel 5), Richard III: The King in the Car Park (Channel 4), Britain’s Secret Treasures (ITV), Crimewatch (BBC), The Story of England and The Great British Story – A People’s History.

Tour

In November, Turi will be on stage in Bristol for one night only, sharing fascinating insights into how DNA has revolutionised genealogy and forensics.

Information and booking: St.George’s Bristol: Monday 11 November, 2024

Speaking

An accomplished public speaker, Turi has given hundreds of talks around the world. She has completed speaking tour across the United States and Canada and won awards from the Genetics Society and the British Council for science communication.

Highlights include guest-presenting the Royal Institution’s Christmas Lecture in Japan, speaking at a Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill, opening the Moscow Science Festival and her TEDx Talk on King Richard III: Solving a 500-year-old-case.

Background

Turi grew up in Canada and studied at the University of British Columbia. She studied Archaeology and Anthropology at the University Cambridge and competed both her masters and her PhD at the world-famous Genetics Department at the University of Leicester.

Her ground-breaking work, linking genetics and our surnames had implications for both genealogy and forensics and led to her pivotal role in the exhumation and identification of King Richard III. She continues to work on several high profile forensic and archaeological cases worldwide.

In 2024, Turi took up a new position as the Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath.

Awards and honours

In 2016, Turi was appointed an honorary fellow of the British Science Association in recognition of her contribution to public engagement in science.

Pictures courtesy of: Carl Vivian, Jonathan Sisson