Angela Mary Cecilia Gallop (born 2 January 1950) is a British forensic scientist. She began her career with the Forensic Science Service in 1974. Since 1986, she has run her own forensic service companies. Her findings helped solve notorious cases such as the deaths of Roberto Calvi, Rachel Nickell, Lynette White, Damilola Taylor, and Gareth Williams. She also took part in the investigation of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, finding no evidence to support theories of a conspiracy. She has been awarded the Order of the British Empire for her scientific contributions, detailed in her books, and has been portrayed on television. Early life and education Gallop was born and raised in Oxford, England, and grew up "tomboyish", playing with her brothers, half-brothers and her chemistry set. Her parents, Eunice and Kenneth Knowles, divorced. She was educated at Headington School but performed poorly and barely qualified for the sixth form, where a botany teacher sparked her interest in science. She studied botany at the University of Sheffield and biochemistry at the University of Oxford. Gallop spent much of the early 1970s researching the biochemistry of chloroplasts in sea slugs on the Isle of Wight for her Doctor of Philosophy degree. Career Forensic Science Service Seeking a more popular field as well as a less repetitive job, Gallop became a senior biologist with the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in 1974. Aside from assistants and secretarial staff, she was one of few women in the laboratory; her boss did not think she could cope emotionally but her colleagues supported her. She visited her first crime scene in February 1978, looking for clues about the murder in Huddersfield of Helen Rytka, later confirmed as a victim of Peter Sutcliffe. She credits her determination "to give some relief to the family" to this case. Forensic Access By 1986, Gallop felt her workload was too large and her stimulation unsatisfactory, so she established her first company, Forensic Access. She intended to provide services to criminal defence lawyers, who could not rely on the FSS expertise at the time. Her advertisements initially yielded requests for infidelity investigations, which she carried out. By the end of 1986, her business had grown enough to have full-time employees and she moved from her work from her home to a proper laboratory. She soon began investigating murder, assault, and arson cases as well as cold cases. She was