[3] Whiffin has carried out forensic entomology research,[4] as well as work on the insects attracted to plants with carrion flowers, such as the carrion beetle Necrodes littoralis which as attracted to the Titan arum 'New Reekie' at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the first time that carrion beetles have been recorded attracted to the plant species outside of Indonesia'.
[5] She has worked on Ichneumonid wasps within the NMS collection[6] and has taught courses on the care of entomological specimens.
[7] Whiffin is co-organiser of the UK carrion beetle species national biological recording scheme,[8][9] she has written about carrion beetles for popular science magazines[10] and in 2021 published a UK species atlas and identification guide on the Histeridae, Sphaeritidae and Silphidae of Britain and Ireland.
[11] Whiffin has published on how social media can be used to engage the public with museum collections, helping to develop the SCOPE framework.
[22] In 2023 Whiffin appears on BBC Winterwatch talking with Gillian Burke about the insects in Warriston Cemetery, Edinburgh.