The Science of DNA Profiling: A National Expert Forum

Speaker Biographies (in alphabetical order):

David Balding, Ph.D. is a professor of Statistical Genetics at the Imperial College in London. Dr. Balding provides consultation primarily for attorneys requiring assitance in the statistical aspects of forensic science, epidemiology and other fields. He has been the associate editor of International Statistical Review and Biostatistics and is current an associate editor of Human Genomics and the Annals of Human Genetics. In addition to performing extensive research, Dr. Balding is responsible for the development of several bioinformatic software tools. Dr. Balding's latest book is Weight-of-evidence for Forensic DNA Profiles.

Simon Ford, Ph.D., Trained primarily in molecular biology and biochemistry, Dr. Ford is the Founder and President of Lexigen Science and Law Consultants, a firm that specializes in providing advice to lawyers about genetic evidence since 1988. He has personally reviewed the DNA evidence from thousands of criminal investigations and has conducted numerous workshops for agencies on the analysis of STR test results. ford@bioforensics.com

Paul Giannelli is a professor at the Case School of Law. Recognized by the New York Times as an "expert on scientific evidence," Mr. Giannelli has lectured throughout the country and his work has been cited in hundreds of court opinions and legal articles, including decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. He is coauthor of nine books: Scientific Evidence (3d edition, 1999), Evidence: Cases and Materials (6th ed. 2002), Courtroom Criminal Evidence (4th ed., 2006), Ohio Criminal Justice (2004), Understanding Evidence (2d ed. 2006), Ohio Juvenile Law (2004), Ohio Rules of Evidence Handbook (2005), Baldwin's Ohio Practice: Criminal Law (2d ed. 2003), and Baldwin's Ohio Practice: Evidence (2d ed. 2001). Mr. Giannelli serves as co-chair, ABA Ad Hoc Innocence Committee to Ensure the Integrity of the Criminal Process and as Reporter, ABA Criminal Justice Standards Task Force on DNA Evidence.

Jason Gilder, M.S., Mr. Gilder is a Systems Engineer at Forensic Bioinformatics, Inc. and Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D. student. His master's thesis involved developing the Genophiler® software system for evaluation of forensic DNA testing results. He has used Genophiler® to analyze the electronic data in more than 400 cases over the past four years. gilder@bioforensics.com

Mitch Holland, Ph.D. Prior to joining the Forensic Science Program at Penn State, Dr. Holland was the Senior Vice President, Operations and Laboratory Director of The Bode Technology Group (Bode). Dr. Holland is a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and is a former member of the American Society of Human Genetics. He has served as an associate professorial lecturer in the Forensic Science Department at the George Washington University, and has been an adjunct faculty member at other colleges and universities. Dr. Holland is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, and has been a member of the Advisory Board of the International Journal of Legal Medicine. mmh20@psu.edu

Keith Inman holds a B.S. and M. Crim., both from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminalistics. In his professional career he has been employed as a criminalist by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner, and the Oakland Police Department. Mr. Inman is currently employed as a senior criminalist by the California Department of Justice DNA Laboratory. He has co-authored a book that has become the preeminent reference for both attorneys and crime laboratories, and a book aimed at practicing criminalists. He has taught in the Criminal Justice Administration department at California State University, Hayward, and currently teaches a variety of general forensic science and forensic DNA courses for the University of California at Berkeley Extension and on-line. kinman@ix.netcom.com

Frederika Kaestle, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology Fellow at the Indiana Molecular Biology Institute of Indiana University. During her academic career, Dr. Kaestle has specialized in molecular genetic techniques that can be utilized to address anthropological questions. Over the past decade, she has concentrated on the new techniques and protocols that make ancient DNA available for study, and has used these data to test hypotheses based on archaeological, linguistic, and ethnographic studies.

Jay Koehler, Ph.D. is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the McCombs School of Business and The Law School at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the Associate Director of the Business Honors Program. He teaches classes in statistics (undergraduate), behavioral decision theory (Ph.D.), and scientific evidence (law). He received his B.A. (philosophy) from Pomona College in 1982 and his Master's and Ph.D. (Behavioral Sciences) from the University of Chicago in 1985 and 1989. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology and law at Stanford, he has been a faculty member at the University of Texas since 1990. He was also a visiting scholar in the psychology department at Harvard in 1998. He received several grants from the National Science Foundation for his research on (a) statistical evidence and error in the courtroom, and (b) how jurors think about DNA statistics. He has published articles in legal, psychology, and statistics journals. Many of these articles focus on probabilistic reasoning in the law. He is an associate editor for Law, Risk, and Probability, and a member of the American Statistical Association, Judgment and Decision Making Society, and the American Psychology-Law Society. Prior to the establishment of guidelines for the presentation of DNA statistics in court, he testified before the National Research Council, Committee on DNA Forensic Science on proper and improper ways of characterizing DNA match evidence. He has also been a consultant or expert witness in about two dozen cases (mostly criminal) that included DNA evidence.

Dan Krane, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Wright State University, his research lab generates thousands of DNA profiles each year as well as the lead author of the best selling undergraduate textbook on bioinformatics. A leading authority on forensic DNA evidence, he is founder and CEO of Forensic Bioinformatics, Inc. and has testified as an expert witness in approximately fifty cases. dan.krane@wright.edu

Larry Mueller, Ph.D., Dr. Mueller is a Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. He has testified in nearly five hundred criminal cases, primarily on issues pertaining to population genetics and the statistics associated with forensic DNA profiling. ldmuelle@uci.edu

Michael Raymer, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Wright State University. An expert in the field of genetic algorithms as well as experienced in the field of protein biochemistry, Dr. Raymer has been at the forefront of introducing bioinformatics to the undergraduate curriculum nation-wide. His research includes evolutionary computation and statistical pattern recognition.

Carolyn Rowland, M.S., Mrs. Rowland is currently an analyst at Forensic Bioinformatics, Inc. in where she reviews case files (including GenophilerTM output, laboratory notes and serological results) associated with forensic DNA testing. She has reviewed and consulted with the lead attorneys of more than 400 cases over the past four years. rowland@bioforensics.com

Norah Rudin, Ph.D. is a forensic DNA consultant located in Berkeley, CA. Dr. Rudin received her Ph.D. in Molecular biology/Genetics from Brandeis University. Dr. Rudin was the DNA techincal leader for the California Department of Justice DNA Laboratory and taught several on-line forensic courses with Knowledge Solutions. Dr. Rudin has also been the Acting DNA Technical Leader for the Idaho State Department of Law Enforcement, San Francisco Police Department, and San Diego Sheriff's Office DNA laboratories. norah@forensicdna.com

Michael Saks, Ph.D. is a professor of Law and Psychology at Arizona State University. Before joining the College of Law faculty, Professor Saks taught at Boston College, Georgetown University, and the University of Iowa, where he was the Edward F. Howrey Professor of Law. He has served as editor of Law & Human Behavior, and is co-editor of Modern Scientific Evidence. His research focuses on empirical studies of the legal system, especially decision-making, the behavior of the litigation system, and the law’s use of science. His work has earned several awards and has been cited in a number of judicial opinions, including several by the United States Supreme Court. He serves on the Advisory Boards of the Best Practices Institute of the National Center for State Courts and of the Center for Justice and Democracy.

William Shields, Ph.D., Dr. Shields is a Professor of Biology at the State University of New York, Syracuse. Dr. Shields has become one of the most easily recognized experts in the field of DNA profiling through his participation as a testifying expert in countless highly publicized trials including the on-going CA v. Peterson. He has published widely in the areas of population genetics and mitochondrial DNA testing. wms1@syr.edu

William Thompson, J.D., Ph.D., Dr. Thompson is a Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine, and a member of the California Bar. He has been a member of the NACDL DNA Strikeforce and has represented a number of defendants in cases that utilized DNA evidence. His work into flaws with the Houston, TX Police Department Crime Laboratory has recently been featured prominently in stories by the television news show 60 Minutes. thompson@bioforensics.com

Last modified: 01/15/09