RESEARCH FIELD

Forensic Science

Forensic science applies natural, physical, and social sciences to resolve legal questions in civil and criminal proceedings. Forensic genetics has been revolutionized by probabilistic genotyping software that interprets complex mixed DNA profiles at low template quantities. Investigative genetic genealogy uses consumer ancestry databases to identify unknown suspects or victims through distant relatives, transforming cold-case investigations. Digital forensics extracts evidence from encrypted devices, cloud services, and IoT systems. Forensic toxicology identifies novel psychoactive substances in biological matrices faster than legislation can schedule them. Growing concerns about bias and reproducibility are driving rigorous validation standards across all forensic disciplines.