Dr. Cristina Valencia is the Lab Director at Astrea Forensics, where she leads the development and application of ancient DNA methods, next‑generation sequencing, and analytical workflows for forensic investigations. Since joining Astrea in 2020, she has contributed to more than one hundred cases, specializing in the recovery and analysis of rootless hairs and other highly degraded DNA samples for law enforcement agencies. Dr. Valencia has been instrumental in integrating new technologies into the laboratory and in establishing a quality management system aligned with ISO 17025 standards. She earned her PhD in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2020.
