Senior Forensic Analyst | South African Police Services | South Africa
Captain Melanie Pienaar is an accomplished forensic entomologist and senior forensic analyst at the South African Police Service (SAPS), specializing in forensic entomology, fingerprint expertise, and victim identification. She obtained her BSc degree from the University of the Free State, where she was awarded the Nikon Prize for best second-year student in entomology, and later completed a TESOL diploma with distinction at the London Teacher Training College. Her extensive professional training includes advanced courses in forensic fingerprint analysis, crime scene investigation, anthropology, entomology, bloodstain pattern analysis, forensic pathology, disaster victim identification, and profiling, gained through international collaborations with institutions in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and South Africa. Professionally, she has contributed as an expert witness in multiple high-profile court cases, including murder and wildlife crime investigations, and currently leads forensic entomology analyses for SAPS. Her research interests lie in postmortem interval estimation, forensic entomology applications in crime-solving and wildlife conservation, and developing best practices for linking insect development to forensic investigations, with her current MSc focusing on estimating indoor temperatures from outdoor data in minimum postmortem interval calculations. Pienaar’s research skills span insect specimen analysis, advanced forensic photography, crime scene reconstruction, and interdisciplinary forensic methodologies, demonstrated through her published work in Medical Veterinary Entomology on rhinoceros poaching and her presentations at leading international conferences such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Oppenheimer Research and Conservation Conference. She has been recognized for her academic and professional excellence with multiple distinctions in forensic training and has contributed significantly to global awareness of forensic entomology through media features and outreach. Her career reflects a rare integration of forensic science, conservation, and international collaboration, marking her as a leader in her field with strong potential for future impact. Citations: 80, Documents: 9, h-index: 5.
Profiles: Scopus | ORCID | ResearchGate
Featured Publications
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Pienaar, M., Orton, A. M., & Botma, Y. (2022). A supportive clinical learning environment for undergraduate students in health sciences: An integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 119, 105572. Citations: 33
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Pienaar, M., & Reid, M. (2020). Self-management in face-to-face peer support for adults with type 2 diabetes living in low- or middle-income countries: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1834. Citations: 31
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Maina, P. M., Pienaar, M., & Reid, M. (2023). Self-management practices for preventing complications of type II diabetes mellitus in low and middle-income countries: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 5, 100136. Citations: 30
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Reid, M., Walsh, C., Raubenheimer, J., Bradshaw, T., Pienaar, M., Hassan, C., … (2018). Development of a health dialogue model for patients with diabetes: A complex intervention in a low-/middle-income country. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 8, 122–131. Citations: 20
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Pienaar, M. A., & Reid, M. (2021). A diabetes peer support intervention: Patient experiences using the Mmogo-method®. Health SA Gesondheid, 26, 1512. Citations: 12