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Sanne (Elise) Aalbers
Research Scientist, Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington (Seattle)
Sanne Aalbers' main area of interest is forensic statistics: in her BSc thesis, she analyzed the statistical evidence in the Lucia de Berk case (famous in the Netherlands for its miscarriage of justice) and for her MSc thesis, she developed novel likelihood ratio models for gunshot residue comparisons.
Sanne (Elise) Aalbers
Jack Ballantyne
Professor of Chemistry, University of Central Florida
Jack Ballantyne is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and an Associate Director of the National Center for Forensic Science in Orlando, Florida. His current research projects include the use of Y chromosome markers for sexual assault investigations, RNA profiling for body fluid and tissue identification, trace DNA analysis including single-cell genomics and mixture deconvolution.
Jack Ballantyne
Tabitha Bandy
Forensic Biology Supervisor / DNA Technical Leader, Metro Nashville Police Department Crime Laboratory
Tabitha Bandy has testified as an expert witness in Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. In March 2010, she accepted a position working in Forensic DNA in Southwest Asia. After returning to the U.S., Mrs. Bandy accepted a position with Metro Nashville Police Department as the Forensic Biology Supervisor, DNA Technical Leader, and CODIS Administrator.
Tabitha BandyAeriel Belk
Ph.D. Candidate, Colorado State University
Aeriel Belk is a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado State University working under Dr. Jessica Metcalf. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at Her background is in animal and food sciences, though through her doctoral work she has had the opportunity to apply similar techniques to understanding the development of the postmortem microbiome. Her current work involves developing a machine learning model to predict time since death using the microbial ecology.
Aeriel Belk
Paul Berry
Forensic DNA Analyst IV, Louisiana State Police Crime Lab
Paul Berry is a Forensic DNA analyst IV for the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab and has been there since January 2006.
Paul Berry
Frederick Bieber
Faculty of Medicine, Harvard University
Frederick R. Bieber has been a member of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University. His academic work focuses on the laboratory and statistical aspects of DNA-based human identification, with a focus on kinship analysis and its attendant legal, ethical, and policy implications.
Frederick Bieber
Jo-Anne Bright
Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) New Zealand
Jo-Anne Bright is a Senior Science Leader within the Forensic Biology group at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) New Zealand, where she has worked since 1999. Jo is one of the co developers of STRmix™, expert software for the interpretation of forensic DNA profiles and the new Australasian standard.
Jo-Anne Bright
John Buckleton
Co-Developer, STRmixTM
John's caseworking experience covers 35 years the UK, USA, Australia, Netherlands, and NZ. He has examined over 2,000 cases and testified possibly over 200 times. This includes testimony in NZ, Australia, England, Netherlands and the US.
John Buckleton
Bruce Budowle
University of North Texas Health Science Center
In 2009 Dr. Budowle became Executive Director of the Institute of Applied Genetics and Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Texas. He currently directs the Center for Human Identification. His research efforts focus on the areas of human forensic identification, microbial forensics, emerging infectious disease, molecular biology technologies, and pharmacogenetics.
Bruce Budowle
Magdalena Bus
Research Assistant Professor, UNTHSC
Magdalena is a Research Assistant Professor at UNTHSC and a member of the UNT Center for Human Identification. Her expertise includes analysis of limited-quantity and severely degraded DNA from forensic and historical samples, e.g., ancient samples from excavations of Viking-age graves. She is the project lead, validation and training manager on a U.S. Department of State grant sponsored by the INL Bureau. The project's purpose is to combat human trafficking in Central America through the use of forensics. Magdalena is also a part of the UNTCHI team addressing the human trafficking problem in the state of Texas.
Magdalena Bus
John Butler
NIST Fellow & Special Assistant to the Director at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
John M. Butler is an internationally recognized expert in forensic DNA analysis and holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Virginia. He has written five textbooks on Forensic DNA Typing (2001, 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2015) and given hundreds of invited talks to scientists, lawyers, and members of the general public throughout the United States and in 25 other countries so far.
John Butler
Thomas Callaghan
FBI Laboratory’s Biometric Analysis Section
As a member of the FBI DNA Analysis Unit, Thomas Callaghan was involved in the analysis of hundreds of homicide and rape cases. In 1999, Dr. Callaghan initiated the FBI’s Federal Convicted Offender DNA Database. In 2003, he became the first CODIS Unit Chief and has been involved with the CODIS Program for over 20 years.
Thomas Callaghan
Jocelyn Carlson
DNA Quality Assurance Program Manager, DNA Support Unit, FBI Laboratory
Ms. Jocelyn Carlson serves as the chair of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) Quality Assurance (QA) Committee. She has 15 years of experience in the forensic DNA field and has been with the FBI Laboratory for the last 9 years.
Jocelyn Carlson
Kevin Cheng
Scientist Developer, Institute of Environmental and Science Research (ESR)
Kevin Cheng is a Scientist Developer at the Institute of Environmental and Science Research (ESR). He is involved with developmental research and validation for probabilistic genotyping software, and teaching the concepts of probabilistic genotyping when required, most recently in Beijing.
Kevin Cheng
Brittney Chilton
Criminalist II, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division
Brittney Chilton is a Criminalist II at the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division. She received her BS/MS in Biotechnology from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a quirky conundrum; spending her days living by protocols and procedures, and evenings doing yoga and enjoying all things related to food, patchouli, and kindness.
Brittney Chilton
Jennifer Churchill Cihlar
Research Assistant Professor in GSBS, UNT Health Science Center
Jennifer’s research interests lie in the development and application of human identification, population genetic analyses, and development of molecular biology technologies. Jennifer’s current research projects focus on defining the molecular biology of library preparation and the chemistry of massively parallel sequencing technologies.
Jennifer Churchill Cihlar
Michael Coble
Associate Director, Center for Human Identification, UNTHSC
Michael Coble, PhD, is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. He serves as a member of the OSAC Biological Data Interpretation and Reporting Committee and is an invited guest at the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM).
Michael Coble
John Collins
High-Stakes Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach at Critical Victories
John Collins is a High-Stakes Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach at Critical Victories, a company he founded to help people, teams, and organizations thrive in high-pressure environments where perfection is an expectation and failure is a ticket out the door. He is also among the most respected forensic experts in the United States, recently publishing his first book on leadership and management in forensic science, which was released by Academic Press just last month.
John Collins
Marsha Deitz
AABB
Marsha Deitz has worked for AABB as the staff Lead Assessor for Relationship Testing since January 2010. Marsha is a Certified Quality Auditor with ASQ, a certified lead auditor for ISO/IEC 17025, a forensic scientist and licensed Medical Technologist.
Marsha Deitz
Colleen Fitzpatrick
Founder of Identifinders International, and Co-Executive Director of the DNA Doe Project
Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD, the founder of Identifinders International, is widely recognized as the founder of modern Forensic Genealogy. She has worked dozens of cold case homicides for law enforcement using genetic genealogy analysis. Most notably, she is credited with collaborating with the Phoenix Police Department to solve the 1992-1993 Phoenix Canal Murders. Dr. Fitzpatrick is Co-Executive Director of the DNA Doe Project (DDP), applying autosomal SNP analysis to the identification of John and Jane Does sometimes decades old. The DNA Doe Project recently identified Buckskin Girl, a Jane Doe who had defied identification for 37 years. The DDP team used genetic genealogy to solve the case in four hours.
Colleen Fitzpatrick
Kimberly Gin
Coroner, Sacramento County Coroner's Office
Kim Gin has worked for the County of Sacramento for twenty years. She started with the County as a Probation Officer and transferred after one year to the Coroner’s Office as a death investigator. She was promoted to Supervising Deputy Coroner in 2012 and then the Coroner in 2014. She has investigated many different kinds of deaths during her career.
Kimberly Gin
Sara Green
Forensic Biologist, Defense Forensic Science Center, US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL)
Sara Green is a Forensic Biologist with the Defense Forensic Science Center in the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL). Sara has provide training on DNA mixture interpretation using probabilistic genotyping to crime labs throughout the U.S. as part of a training team funded by the N.I.J. Her courtroom experience includes testifying in federal court, U.S. military court, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Sara GreenDouglas Hares
National DNA Index System Program Manager, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s CODIS Unit
Dr. Hares is the National DNA Index System Program Manager in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s CODIS Unit. Dr. Hares is an invited guest and participant at the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) and the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) meetings. He also serves as a member and advisor to Interpol’s DNA Monitoring Expert Group.
Douglas Hares
Ted Hunt
Senior Advisor to the Attorney General on Forensic Science, Department of Justice
Ted R. Hunt is Senior Advisor to the Attorney General on Forensic Science at the Department of Justice. In that capacity, he is the Department’s lead advisor on forensic science policy and emerging forensic issues. Mr. Hunt also regularly interfaces with federal, state, and local forensic stakeholders and the Department’s law enforcement partners.
Ted Hunt
Jody Hynds
Senior Forensic Scientist, Orange County District Attorney’s Office
Since 2010, Jody has been a Senior Forensic Scientist for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as their local database administrator and general DNA expert in their DNA Unit.
Jody Hynds
Hari Iyer
Mathematical Statistician at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Hari Iyer is a Mathematical Statistician at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and PhD in Statistics from Colorado State University. His areas of interest are Statistical Inference, Applied Statistics, Uncertainty and its quantification, Machine Learning and its applications in Forensic Science.
Hari Iyer
Chelsey Juarez
Assistant Professor, Fresno State
Dr. Juarez focuses on forensic anthropology and provenience investigations through isotope analysis. She uses isotopes from human bone, hair and teeth to identify region of origin and migratory behaviors.
Chelsey Juarez
Kristine Kadash
Sr. Criminalist, CODIS Administrator – Jefferson County Regional Crime Lab
Kristine Kadash is a Sr. Criminalist and CODIS Administrator at the Jefferson County Regional Crime Lab. She received her BS in Biological Sciences/Zoology from Colorado State University, and PhD in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin. Previously, Kristine worked as a DNA analyst at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center.
Kristine Kadash
Marla Kaplan
DNA Technical Leader, Oregon State Police
Marla Kaplan is the current DNA Technical Leader for the Oregon State Police, having served in that role since 2009. She is qualified in both casework and databasing analyses and has testified in criminal trials, post-conviction matters, and admissibility hearings. She is a member of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) and an invited guest to the Scientific Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM).
Marla Kaplan
Susannah Kehl
DNA Technical Leader, FBI Laboratory
Ms. Susannah Kehl is the DNA Technical Leader for the FBI Laboratory. She has testified in over 60 criminal proceedings in state, federal, and military courts across the United States and its territories. Ms. Kehl is a member of Scientific Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), the NDIS board and the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC).
Susannah Kehl
Bobby LaRue
Associate Professor of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University
Bobby LaRue is an Associate Professor of Forensic Science in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. He received his PhD in Molecular Bioogy from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.
Bobby LaRue
Eugene Lien
Assistant Director and Nuclear DNA Technical Leader at the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Eugene Lien is currently an Assistant Director at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Department of Forensic Biology, where he has worked since October 2001. He was appointed as the Nuclear DNA Technical Leader in 2008 and has previously served as the Quality Assurance Manager for more than 10 years.
Eugene Lien
Chris Long
Technology Project Coordinator, Washoe County Technology Services
Chris Long is a Technology Project Coordinator for Washoe County Technology Services. He received his Associates degree from Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno. He is a (CISSP) certified information systems security professional, and enjoys outdoor activities such as off-road traveling.
Chris Long
Gustavo Martinez
Director of the Forensic Genetics Service and the Genetic Data Bank of the Supreme Court of Justice of the state of Entre Ríos, Argentina
Since 1999, Gustavo Martinez has been the Director of the Forensic Genetics Service and the Genetic Data Bank of the Supreme Court of Justice of the state of Entre Ríos, Argentina. He has worked on the resolution of more than 3000 forensic cases including kinship and criminal studies. He worked actively in the development of GENis, the software that works as a support for genetic databases of criminal offenders in several states of Argentina.
Gustavo Martinez
Gabriella Mason-Buck
Forensic Scientist and PhD student, King’s Forensics, King’s College London
Gabriella works as a forensic scientist, and has managed the King's Forensics DNA analysis casework laboratory since 2014. She has taught on the MSc in Forensic Science at King’s College London since 2012, and is involved with additional teaching and outreach inside and outside of the university. Gabriella is also a researcher within the Forensic Genetics group of King’s Forensics, and since 2014 has been carrying out her PhD part-time in forensic metagenomics
Gabriella Mason-Buck
Amy McGuckian
Technical Leader of the Forensic Biology Unit, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Amy McGuckian is currently employed by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office where she has served as the Technical Leader of the Forensic Biology Unit for the past 16 years.
Amy McGuckian
Lisa Mertz
Criminalist Level IV, Senior Supervisor, Cold Case Liaison, OCME
Lisa Mertz has worked at the OCME in the Forensic Biology Department for approximately 14 years as a criminal casework analyst, supervisor, and cold case liaison. She has written and technically reviewed thousands of casework files of various crime types and has testified as an expert witness over 70 times in all courts in all the boroughs of New York City.
Lisa Mertz
CeCe Moore
Investigative Genetic Genealogist and Media Consultant
CeCe is an investigative genetic genealogist and media consultant. She has worked as the genetic genealogist for the PBS Television documentary series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. continually since 2013. She is a sought after media consultant and the founder of The DNA Detectives, which boasts an online following of over 92,000 people. CeCe also recently joined forces with Parabon Nanolabs to lead their new Genetic Genealogy Services for law enforcement unit.
CeCe Moore
Lilly Moreno
Research Biologist, DNA Support Unit, FBI Laboratory
Dr. Moreno plays an integral role in the Rapid DNA testing and advancement efforts at the FBI, and oversees evaluation and validation efforts pertaining to Probabilistic Genotyping, Next Generation Sequencing technology and other chemistries and technologies in support of the Biometric Units at the FBI.
Lilly Moreno
Tamyra Moretti
Research Biologist, DNA Support Unit, FBI Laboratory
Tamyra Moretti is a Research Biologist for the DNA Support Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory. In 1996, Dr. Moretti joined the FBI Forensic Science Research Unit where she performed research, development and validation of PCR-based methods for the analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. She has lectured extensively and trained forensic scientists and attorneys throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Tamyra Moretti
Steven Myers
California Department of Justice Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory
Mr. Steven Myers has 30 years of experience in the field of forensic serology and DNA analysis. For the past 28 years, he has been employed by the California Department of Justice Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory. Mr. Myers’ primary duties over this time have been casework and method development, as well as teaching through Cal DOJ’s California Criminalistics Institute.
Steven Myers
Lori Napolitano
Chief of Forensic Services – Genetic Genealogy Investigations, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Lori Napolitano is the Chief of Forensic Services of the Genetic Genealogy Investigations program with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The program has over 15 cases in progress and has resolved three cases.
Lori Napolitano
Nicole Novroski
Assistant Professor, Forensic Science Program (Dept of Anthropology), University of Toronto
Dr. Nicole Novroski is currently an Assistant Professor in the Forensic Science Program (Dept of Anthropology) at the University of Toronto. Her research focus throughout her PhD, and now as a faculty member, is DNA mixture deconvolution. Nicole is also exploring a variety of new approaches and methods for forensic DNA typing.
Nicole Novroski
Rachel Oefelein
DNA Labs International (DLI)
Rachel Oefelein is currently the Quality Assurance Manager/Senior DNA Analyst at DNA Labs International (DLI). Her courtroom experience includes testimony in four Florida counties, two states and three countries including misdemeanor and felony trials as well as both Arthur and Daubert hearings.
Rachel Oefelein
Margaret Press
Co-founder, DNA Doe Project
Margaret Press, PhD is the co-founder of the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit corporation dedicated to identifying John and Jane Does through genetic genealogy.
Margaret Press
Steve Renteria
Cold Hit Outcome Project Coordinator, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Mr. Renteria has been working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's since 1983 and is assigned to Forensic Biology section. He was the DNA Technical Leader from 2000-2014. For the last 25 years he has served as the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Administrator and is the Cold Hit Outcome Project (CHOP) coordinator for the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
Steve Renteria
Joe Ring
Senior Research DNA Analyst, AFDIL
Joe Ring has been with the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) since 2012. As part of the Emerging Technology Section, he has focused primarily on the implementation and automation of mitochondrial DNA sequencing using next generation sequencing. This includes work on research, development, and validation projects.
Joe Ring
Marguerite Rizzo
Deputy District Attorney, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
Marguerite Rizzo is currently assigned as the Deputy-In-Charge of the Forensic Science Section at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Rizzo has been a Deputy District Attorney since 1999 and has been assigned to a number of units within the office, including two special trial units, the Family Violence Division and the Elder Abuse section.
Marguerite Rizzo
Richard Selden
Founder, ANDE
Richard Selden founded ANDE (originally NetBio) in 2004 with a vision to move DNA analysis from sophisticated laboratories to the field, where it could have immediate impact on forensic identification in military, disaster victim identification, law enforcement, and homeland security applications.
Richard Selden
Diahan Southard
Your DNA Guide
Diahan has evolved with the Genetic Ancestry industry beginning in the year 2000 when she helped pioneer the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, the first attempt to combine DNA and family history. For the last 5 years she has been running Your DNA Guide, a company providing education and assistance to anyone with DNA who wants to learn more about their family history. She now also runs DNA Eyewitness, a company providing educational opportunities for law enforcement to learn how to apply DNA and family history in their investigations.
Diahan Southard
Amanda Sozer
Founder and President of SNA International
Dr. Amanda Sozer, founder and president of SNA International, has received recognition for her invaluable contributions to the forensic industry over her thirty year career. She was a key contributor to the 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina identification responses and SNA as a company has responded to over 50 mass fatality incidents.
Amanda Sozer
Tiffany Vasquez
Assistant Technical Leader, Department of Forensic Biology, New York City OCME
Tiffany Vasquez is an Assistant Technical Leader at the New York City OCME in the Department of Forensic Biology. Tiffany has written or reviewed thousands of cases in a variety of crime types and has testified in both state and federal jurisdictions within the City of New York.
Tiffany Vasquez
Athina Vidaki
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Erasmus MC
Athina Vidaki recently completed her PhD in Forensic Epigenetics at King’s College London (2015) and she is currently continuing her career as a post-doctoral research scientist at the Department of Genetic Identification at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.
Athina Vidaki
Susan Walsh
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Forensic and Investigative Sciences, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Dr. Susan Walsh is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology and Forensic and Investigative Sciences at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Dr. Walsh completed her PhD in Forensic Genetics at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. She went on to complete post-doctorate work at Yale University before joining IUPUI in 2014.
Susan Walsh
Jodie Ward
University of Technology Sydney & NSW Health Pathology
Jodie Ward is the Director of the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER) and an Associate Professor in the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney. In addition, she is the Forensic DNA Identification Specialist for the Forensic and Analytical Science Service at NSW Health Pathology, specialising in the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA testing of compromised human remains. This unique Joint Appointment sees her lead the research, development and application of forensic human identification techniques for missing persons casework in Australia.
Jodie Ward
Regina Wells
DNA Database Supervisor, Kentucky State Police DNA Database
Regina Wells has been employed by the Kentucky State Police for 19 years and the supervisor of the DNA Database for 3 years. She also serves as the State CODIS Administrator for Kentucky.
Regina Wells
Ray Wickenheiser
Director for the New York State Police Crime Lab System
Dr. Ray Wickenheiser is currently the Director for the New York State Police Crime Lab System, headquartered in Albany, New York. He is also a Past President of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD). Ray has over 36 years of forensic science experience, with 19 of those as a Crime Lab Director in local and State Crime Laboratories. His areas of expertise include crime lab administration, quality management, forensic DNA, serology, hair and fiber trace evidence, physical matching and comparison, glass fracture analysis, and forensic grain comparison. Ray is currently the Chair of the ASCLD Rapid DNA Disaster Victim Identification Subcommittee.
Ray Wickenheiser
Sheila Willis
Guest Researcher at National Institute of Standards and Technology
Sheila Willis was Director General Forensic Science Ireland from 2002 – 2017. From Sept 2017 to April 2019 she worked at NIST on a scientific foundation review of DNA mixture interpretation. She has given many presentations including “Forensic Science – Fact and Fiction” as a recipient of the Boyle Higgins Medal from the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, 2013; Stuart Kind Memorial Lecture 2016 “What does it take to be a Skeptical Witness -can we learn from the past to plan the future? “and Forensics@NIST “Lessons learned from a life in Crime”.
Sheila Willis
Charlotte Word
Consultant
Charlotte Word is currently a consultant in Human DNA Identification testing. She has performed technical reviews on many 1000’s of cases from several public and private DNA testing laboratories and has participated in the validation of various DNA test systems. Charlotte has testified as an expert witness in over 300 trials and admissibility hearings around the country since 1990.
Charlotte Word