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Jessica Liu

    • About Me:

      I am a facial anthropologist, this means I recreate faces from skulls!  In my free time I am a BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) Scuba diving instructor, and I go diving mainly around the UK, looking at sea animals and shipwrecks. I also do some needle felting as a hobby!

      Hobby: Scuba Diving

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      Face Lab is led by Professor Caroline Wilkinson, and I am the project manager.
      Dr. Sarah Shrimpton and Dr. Maria Castaneyra-Ruiz are our post-doctoral researchers, and Mark Roughley is a Senior Lecturer in 3D Digital Art at the Liverpool School of Art and Design.

      We also have three doctoral students, Elysia, Martina and Isabel.

      As a team, we recreate faces from skulls and this includes analysing the skeleton, using 3D technology to make a digital copy of the skull, using scientific methods and anatomical standards to predict what the soft tissue could look like, and artistic skills to make the face look realistic.

       

      Facial depictions from Face LabFacial depictions from Face Lab. Find out more through our website

       

      Archaeological Facial Depiction of King Ramases II, Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh during the New Kingdom period and lived from 1303 -1213 BC.

      Archaeological Facial Depiction of King Rameses II, Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh during the New Kingdom period and lived from 1303 -1213 BC. See the facial reconstruction process here: https://youtu.be/pk2tcKBNNG8

       

       

    • My pronouns are:

      She/Her

    • My Work:

      We work as a team at Liverpool John Moores University. As Face Lab, we recreate faces from skulls for forensic and archaeological work!

      Our work includes craniofacial analysis, facial depiction, and forensic art. Craniofacial analysis involves the depiction and identification of unknown bodies for forensic investigation, or historical figures for archaeological interpretation. Face Lab research relates to facial identification, craniofacial reconstruction, preserved bodies, and facial animation.

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      With a facial reconstruction case, we first get a digital copy of the skull. We either scan the remains or use medical CT data. The skull is imported in a 3D software, where we are able to sculpt on top of the skull in the computer. We add muscles and tissue depth measurements onto the skull. Various scientific methods are used to estimate the shape of the facial features, for example, we can measure the bony part of the nose, and do a few calculations to predict the height of the nose. The reconstruction is finished with a skin layer, and we add textures on top to make it look more realistic.

      Facial reconstruction process of Leasowe Man.

      Facial reconstruction process of Leasowe Man. See the facial reconstruction process here: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/museum-of-liverpool/floor-plan/history-detectives/leasowe-man

    • My Typical Day:

      My day starts about 8am, I drive into work which normally takes about 40minutes.
      Working hours are somewhat flexible, I normally get in around 9am, and we are able to work from home twice a week. We have a coffee maker in the lab, where we get to enjoy a good brew first thing in the morning. Our space is open office, which means we are very approachable, this is very important for teamwork.  We have a little booth where we have lunch around 12pm with colleagues and our research students, we all sit together and talk about our day! After Lunch, its back to work! We go home around 5 -6 pm.

      Twice a week, we also do 30 minute excercise in the lab!

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      Sometimes my day can be slightly different. This will include meetings at a different location, teaching, going away to attend a conference, or sometimes, to scan some skulls!

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would use the £500 to do a 3D print of the skull that was presented in the Christmas Lecture and donate this to the Museum.

    My CV

    • Education:

      Face Lab members are all from very different backgrounds! 

      Having a diverse skill set allow us to contribute on different aspects of the same case. 

      • Professor Caroline Wilkinson has a background in art and science 
      • Dr. Jessica Liu has a background in Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Facial Identification 
      • Dr. Sarah Shrimpton has a background in Fine Art Painting and Forensic Art 
      • Dr. Maria Castaneyra-Ruiz has a background in Art History, Physical Anthropology and Archaeology. 
      • Mark Roughley has a background in Illustration with Animation and Medical Art  

        

      I did 3 full A-levels: Biology, Chemistry, Business Studies, and 3 AS: Maths, Art and Music. 

      My grades were ok, lots of Bs and Cs. I went to Scotland at the University of Dundee and did a 4 year degree, started with Biomedical science. I realised this was not something I enjoy! So I applied to switch to Forensic Anthropology. 

      The Forensic Anthropology course was great! I really enjoyed it and decided to study more! So I went on to do a masters in Forensic Facial Identification. 

      As a graduate with skills in Forensic Anthropology and craniofacial knowledge, I was able to joined Face Lab in 2015 as a PhD student. My Doctoral project was focused on Facial identification from online images for use in the prevention of child trafficking and exploitation. 

      I completed the PhD in 2018 and started as the project manager of Face Lab in 2019. 

      During my time as a project manager in Face Lab, the university provided teaching training on the job. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education Continuing Professional Development. 

      It is important to be up-to-date with the community of forensic anthropology, so I am a member of a few societies and organisations: I am a certified Forensic Anthropologists level III, fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute; a member of the British Association for Forensic Anthropology (BAFA); and a member of the Hong Kong Forensic Science Society. 

      As a research, I have presented in the field of facial anthropology at various symposia, both nationally and internationally. This means there are travelling opportunities! I have been to Australia, Italy and Hong Kong as work trips! 

      As a researcher within Face Lab, I continues to be involved in facial depictions from skeletal remains for both archaeological and forensic identification purposes. 

    • Qualifications:

      A-Level: Biology, Chemistry, Business Studies,

      AS: Maths, Art, Music, Chinese

      Undergraduate degree: Forensic Anthropology BSc(Hons)

      Masters degree: Forensic Facial Identification MSc

      Doctoral thesis title: Facial identification from online images for use in the prevention of child trafficking and exploitation. 

      Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education Continuing Professional Development. 

    • Work History:

      Face Lab 2019-current

    • Current Job:

      Face Lab 2019-current

    • Employer:

      Liverpool John Moores University

    • My Interview

      • My favourite CHRISTMAS LECTURES memory is:

        The gigantic dagger to illustrate sharp force trauma

        How is your work linked to the CHRISTMAS LECTURES

        We recreated the face of our Viking from the first lecture!

        How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Faces, Art, Science

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        Nurse

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Never! ;)

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Maxillofacial prosthetists

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Ravel

        What's your favourite food?

        Ferrero Rocher Chocolate?

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        Teleportation, talk to animals, and time travel

        Tell us a joke.

        I knew the skull wasn't going to win the argument. It didn't have a leg to stand on.

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