Walther Parson

Dr. Walther Parson is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University in Austria and an Adjunct Professor in the Forensic Science Program at Penn State University. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Science International: Genetics and holds editorial positions across several international journals in forensic and legal medicine. Dr. Parson is a leading member of multiple forensic organizations, including serving as Secretary of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG), Secretary of the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP), and Operational Manager for ISFG interests. He co-developed and curates the forensic DNA databases EMPOP and STRidER, supporting global standards in mitochondrial and STR data quality. His research contributions include over 500 peer-reviewed publications with more than 28,000 citations, reflecting his impact on forensic, genetic, and population science.