Dr Peace Nwafor

Dr Peace Nwafor is an analytical chemist and lecturer specialising in forensic, environmental, and sustainable analytical chemistry. Her expertise spans chromatography, mass spectrometry, chemometrics, and machine learning, with a strong focus on developing reproducible and environmentally responsible laboratory practices in forensic and analytical science.

Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/peace-nwafor
GitHub: https://github.com/Ppeggo1

Background

Peace is an analytical chemist and lecturer with over fifteen years of experience across regulated industrial laboratories, environmental testing services, forensic-relevant analysis, and higher education teaching. She completed her PhD at the University of Nottingham, where her research focused on applying machine learning approaches to advance sustainable chemistry and improve laboratory decision-making. She is a Chartered Chemist (CChem) and a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Prior to joining Anglia Ruskin University as a Lecturer, Peace held academic and teaching roles in further and higher education, alongside extensive experience in pharmaceutical, environmental, and manufacturing sectors. Her educational career demonstrates a progression from experimental analytical chemistry to data-driven and sustainability-focused laboratory practice, integrating industry expertise with contemporary research and teaching in analytical and forensic chemistry.

Spoken Languages

English and Igbo

Research interests

• GC–MS analysis of ignitable liquid residues and fire debris
• FTIR and spectroscopic analysis of polymers and explosive residues
• Persistence and degradation of trace evidence under environmental stress
• Chemometric and machine learning approaches to substance classification
• Pattern recognition and spectral data analysis
• Sustainable and green analytical chemistry in forensic science
• Solvent-free and low-impact extraction methods
• Replacing hazardous reagents in classical forensic assays
• Environmental impact of routine forensic laboratory testing
• Reproducibility, uncertainty, and standardisation in forensic laboratories

Areas of research supervision

• Forensic chemistry
• Analytical chemistry
• Environmental chemical analysis
• Fire debris and ignitable liquid analysis
• Sustainable forensic laboratory practices
• Chemometrics and machine learning in chemistry

Teaching

Module Leader for Physical and Quantitative Chemistry

Forensic Chemistry

Fire Chemistry

Qualifications

• PGCert – University of Hull
• PhD – Machine Learning for Sustainable Chemistry, University of Nottingham, UK
• MSc – Analytical Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
• BSc – Industrial Chemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria

Memberships, editorial boards

• Chartered Chemist (CChem), Royal Society of Chemistry
• Member, Royal Society of Chemistry
• Member, Society for Education and Training

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Contributor to digital laboratory and sustainable chemistry initiatives in higher education
• Industry-informed consultancy experience in regulated analytical laboratories
• Knowledge exchange activities linking sustainable chemistry, forensic science, and education

Selected recent publications

Nwafor, P. C.; Gurung, S.; van Krimpen, P.; Schnaubert, L.; Jolley, K.; Pearman-Kanza, S.; Willoughby, C.; Hirst, J. D. AI4Green4Students: Promoting Sustainable Chemistry in Undergraduate Laboratories with an Electronic Lab Notebook. J. Chem. Educ. 2025, 102,7, 2720 - 2731. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01393.

Recent presentations and conferences

• AI4Green4Students: Promoting Sustainable Chemistry through Digital Laboratory Notebooks – VICEPHEC Conference, 2025
• Sust-AI-nable Chemist-TREE: Machine Learning and Sustainable Chemistry Education – AI UK Conference & Nottingham Science Festival, 2025
• AI-Powered Sustainable Laboratory Notebooks – Women in STEM Conference, 2025