Dr Martin Hall

Dr Martin Hall

Scientific Associate

Department: Life Sciences
Division: LS Insects Division
Specialisms: • Biology, behavior and taxonomy of flies of veterinary and forensic importance • Specialist in the fly families Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Glossinidae • Forensic entomology expert witness

    Summary

    Martin Hall was awarded a BSc from the University of North Wales, Bangor, in 1975 then gained his PhD from Imperial College, London, in 1978. He was awarded the Thomas Henry Huxley Award of the Zoological Society of London for his thesis on blowfly feeding behaviour. Following seven years of work on tsetse flies in Africa, mainly in the Sudan and Zimbabwe, Martin returned to the UK.

    In 1989 he joined the Natural History Museum, London, as a research entomologist, studying forensic and veterinary entomology. These fields are related by fly species that develop as larvae both on carrion and on live animals, on the latter causing the disease known as myiasis. Martin has been a consultant on myiasis issues for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (Rome), the International Atomic Energy Agency (Vienna), the Office International des Epizooties (Paris) and the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (Khartoum). Martin has consulted with police forces and legal bodies as a forensic entomologist on more than 150 investigations, mainly of murder. Martin retired in March 2020 but remains a Scientific Associate within the Insects Division of the Life Sciences Department. He was also appointed an Honorary Reader in the Centre for Clinical Pharmacology within the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, from 01 July 2022 until 30 June 2025

    His current research studies the exploitation of vertebrate tissues, living and dead, by blowflies (Calliphoridae) and fleshflies (Sarcophagidae). Martin was awarded a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree on 01/03/2022 from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Medicine of Imperial College for his thesis on this subject area.

    The primary objective of current studies of blowfly development on dead tissues is to improve estimates of minimum post-mortem interval in forensic investigations through:-

    • Developing temperature-based models for the development of flies.

    • Mapping blowfly distributions to aid in determining the likelihood of finding a particular species on a body exposed in a particular habitat.

    Fly species developing on live tissues and causing traumatic myiasis have a major impact on livestock welfare and production in the developing economies of central Europe, the Mediterranean basin and the tropics. They can also be involved in forensic cases as indicators of neglect of humans and animals. Current projects aim to:

    • Explore the biology of agents of myiasis through micro-computed tomographical studies of developmental stages, especially of the Oestridae.

    Qualifications

    Degrees

    • BSc, University College of North Wales, Bangor, United Kingdom, 1972 - 1975
    • PhD, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, United Kingdom, 1975 - 1978
    • DSc, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

    Certifications

    • Certificate of Expert Witness Accreditation, Cardiff University and Bond Solon
    • Expert Witness Certificate (Criminal), Cardiff University Law School Bond Solon

    Postgraduate training

    • Course on Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis (U.K., Burkina Faso and the Gambia)., Overseas Development Administration and Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Kingdom and Italy, 1979 - 1979

    Employment history

    Academic

    • Research Associate, University of Bristol, Tsetse Research Laboratory, United Kingdom, 1982 - 1986

    Non-academic

    • Research Entomologist, The Natural History Museum, Life Sciences, United Kingdom, 1989 - ongoing
    • Technical Cooperation Officer, Overseas Development Administration, ODA and Sudan Government Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Survey, 1979 - 1982
    • Database Operator, Kilburn and Strode, Patent Agents, Records Department, 1988 - 1988

    Highlighted publications

    • Walczak K, Szpila K, Nelson L, Pape T, Hall MJR, Alves F, Grzywacz A (2023) Medical and Veterinary Entomology, (1) Wiley : 14 - 26. doi: 10.1111/mve.12603
    • Martín‐Vega D, Clark B, Ferrer LM, López‐Tamayo S, Panadero R, Cepeda‐Palacios R, Colwell DD, Hall MJR (2021) Medical and Veterinary Entomology, (1) Wiley : 106 - 120. doi: 10.1111/mve.12476
    • Matuszewski S, Hall MJR, Moreau G, Schoenly KG, Tarone AM, Villet MH (2020) Pigs vs people: the use of pigs as analogues for humans in forensic entomology and taphonomy research. International Journal of Legal Medicine, (2) Springer Science and Business Media LLC : 793 - 810. doi: 10.1007/s00414-019-02074-5
    • Hall MJR, Martín-Vega D (2019) Visualization of insect metamorphosis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, (1783) The Royal Society : 20190071 - 20190071. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0071
    • Hall MJR, Simonsen TJ, Martín-Vega D (2017) Royal Society Open Science, (1) The Royal Society : 160699 - 160699. doi: 10.1098/rsos.160699
    • Martín-Vega D, Simonsen TJ, Wicklein M, Hall MJR (2017) Age estimation during the blow fly intra-puparial period: a qualitative and quantitative approach using micro-computed tomography. International Journal of Legal Medicine, (5) Springer Science and Business Media LLC : 1429 - 1448. doi: 10.1007/s00414-017-1598-2
    • Martín‐Vega D, Simonsen TJ, Hall MJR (2017) Journal of Morphology, (5) Wiley : 629 - 651. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20660
    • Hall MJR, Wall RL, Stevens JR (2016) Traumatic Myiasis: A Neglected Disease in a Changing World. Annual Review of Entomology, (1) Annual Reviews : 159 - 176. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ento-010715-023655
    • Bhadra P, Hart AJ, Hall MJR (2014) Factors affecting accessibility to blowflies of bodies disposed in suitcases. Forensic Science International, Elsevier BV : 62 - 72. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.03.020
    • Grzywacz A, Góral T, Szpila K, Hall MJR (2014) Confocal laser scanning microscopy as a valuable tool in Diptera larval morphology studies. Parasitology Research, (11) Springer Science and Business Media LLC : 4297 - 4302. doi: 10.1007/s00436-014-4125-0
    • Hall MJR, MacLeod N, Wardhana AH (2014) Use of wing morphometrics to identify populations of the Old World screwworm fly, Chrysomya bezziana (Diptera: Calliphoridae): A preliminary study of the utility of museum specimens. Acta Tropica, Elsevier BV : S49 - S55. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2014.03.023
    • HALL M, WHITAKER A, RICHARDS C (2012) Forensic Entomology, Chapter 8. Forensic Ecology Handbook: From Crime Scene to Court. Marquez-Grant N, Roberts J (Eds).Wiley-Blackwell : 111 - 140.
    • Richards CS, Simonsen TJ, Abel RL, Hall MJR, Schwyn DA, Wicklein M (2012) Virtual forensic entomology: Improving estimates of minimum post-mortem interval with 3D micro-computed tomography. Forensic Science International, (1-3) Elsevier BV : 251 - 264. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.03.012
    • Wardhana AH, Hall MJR, Mahamdallie SS, Muharsini S, Cameron MM, Ready PD (2012) Phylogenetics of the Old World screwworm fly and its significance for planning control and monitoring invasions in Asia. International Journal for Parasitology, (8) Elsevier BV : 729 - 738. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.04.017
    • Sotiraki S, Farkas R, Hall MJR (2010) Fleshflies in the flesh: Epidemiology, population genetics and control of outbreaks of traumatic myiasis in the Mediterranean Basin. Veterinary Parasitology, (1-2) Elsevier BV : 12 - 18. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.08.010
    • Amendt J, Campobasso CP, Gaudry E, Reiter C, LeBlanc HN, J. R. Hall M (2007) Best practice in forensic entomology—standards and guidelines. International Journal of Legal Medicine, (2) Springer Science and Business Media LLC : 90 - 104. doi: 10.1007/s00414-006-0086-x
    • Colwell DD, HALL MJR, Scholl PJ (2006) The Oestrid Flies: biology, host-parasite relationships, impact and management. CABI Publishing: Wallingford, UK and Cambridge, USA. : x+359 - null.
    • Hall MJR The Relationship between Research and Casework in Forensic Entomology. Insects, (2) MDPI AG : 174 - 174. doi: 10.3390/insects12020174
    • Hall MJR, Ghosh D, Martín-Vega D, Clark B, Clatworthy I, Cheke RA, Rogers ME Micro-CT visualization of a promastigote secretory gel (PSG) and parasite plug in the digestive tract of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis infected with Leishmania mexicana. Caljon G (Eds).PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, (8) Public Library of Science (PLoS) : e0009682 - e0009682. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009682

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