Theme 1: Innovative Forensic Science and Technology

Chair: Claude Roux
Co chair: Gerard van der Peijl

Contributions are invited on emerging technology or innovative methods applicable in forensic science. Examples include:

• Analytical methods to address typical forensic challenges such as source attribution, dating, etc, e.g:
  • Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) - and Desorption Electrospray Ionisation (DESI) – MS
  • Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS)
  • Hyperspectral imaging
• Emerging DNA and RNA techniques for faster and/or more informative analysis of biological material, e.g:
  • Next generation or massively parallel sequencing
  • Phenotpye and ancestry information through DNA
  • RNA profiling to determine tissue of origin, and mRNA to help identify biological substances
  • non-human DNA typing
• Novel fingermark detection methods for improved detection and identification, e.g:
  • Nanotechnology approaches
  • Immunogenic approaches
  • Non-invasive approaches
• Law enforcement and courts in the digital era, e.g.:
  • CCTV footages, facial comparisons and biometrics
  • Data mining
  • Virtual autopsy
  • Computer forensics, data analysis, mobile forensics, cloud computing, silicon and chip forensics

The impact of emerging science and technology will be presented in terms of how these developments will affect the work of forensic scientists in the future. Considerations will also be given to the impact of new technology on crime itself; for example identity theft and cybercrime.

The added value of multi-disciplinary applications of new technologies (1+1=3?), eg human provenancing using isotopes and DNA) will be highlighted. The place and limitations of technology within a forensic science culture, and the actual impact of technology on policing and security will finally be discussed.