Pamela Marshall – ISHI News

Speaker

Pamela Marshall

Director, Duquesne University

Dr. Pamela Marshall has been involved in the field of forensic analysis since 2002. Upon the completion of her MS in Forensic Genetics in 2002, she worked as a Forensic Scientist III at the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division. While in Maryland, she was the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Coordinator for the state, helped to promote 120-hour SAFE collection legislation, and assisted in the training of over 200 SAFE nurses. Pam has also traveled abroad to Luanda, Angola, Africa to train analysts in forensic DNA analysis. She has been qualified as an expert witness in the fields of serology and DNA in Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and West Virginia.

Her dissertation was titled “Improved Tools for the Robust Analysis of Low Copy Number and Challenged DNA Samples”, leading to her graduation with her doctorate in 2014 under the guidance of Drs. Bruce Budowle, Art Eisenberg, Ranajit Chakraborty, and Angela van Daal. She also holds an additional Master of Science degree in Biomedical Science from the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

From 2014-2018, Pam served as the Director of the Forensic Science Program at the Southern University at New Orleans, a public, historically black college and university (HBCU). While at SUNO, she created a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory for hands-on research and experimentation. She has received numerous grants as well as partnered on research projects with other faculty and students. Pam is an advocate for increasing the number of African American and underrepresented minority professionals in the field of forensic science.

In July 2018, Pam became the Director of the Forensic Science and Law Program at Duquesne University, the nation’s only FEPAC-accredited entry-level Master’s degree program in forensic science. She also serves as an Associate Professor and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences. In 2019, Pam also became the Director of the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law. In 2024, Pam became a FEPAC Commissioner.

Pam has extensive graduate and undergraduate teaching experience in the forensic disciplines of serology, DNA, and microscopy. Her research interests include low-copy number DNA, human and wildlife DNA identification challenges, body fluid identification, nanoparticle technology, pressure cycling technology, PCR enhancement, mixture deconvolution, and 3D printing technology.