Speakers: Lourdes Prieto and Laura Catelli

The main objective of the workshop is to show Familias software as a tool to perform DNA matching and statistical analysis in large-scale human identification cases. The WS includes a theoretical part as well as practical exercises to perform: 

• Comparisons of Post-Mortem (PM) vs PM data,
• The evaluation of Ante-Mortem (AM) pedigrees, including simulations to know their informativeness,
• The calculation of posterior probabilities of identification using different approaches. 

The intention is to provide e-learning material prior to the WS in order for the participants to understand the theory behind the exercises.

Speakers: Martin Zieger and all FDAB members (Maria Eugenia D'Amato, Yann Joly, Vanessa Lynch, Nathan Scudder)

Combining Forensics and Genetics means combining two highly sensitive fields of professional activity. Forensic geneticists wear several different professional hats, being frequently at the same time researchers, educators, casework analysts, expert witnesses, data stewards and custodians, as well as policy advisors. All these different roles come with different compliance rules and navigation can be challenging, e.g. when conducting population genetic studies that serve at the same time goals in forensic practice and research.

The workshop will be split in two parts: In the first part, we will start with a short refresher about the international ethics principles applying to research studies in forensic genetics, revising and updating the discussions on our First report and from the ethics workshop at the 2024 ISFG meeting.

We will shift the focus to emerging ethical and legal challenges, discussing current developments with participants and define pressing requirements for action. In the second part of the workshop, we attempt to define ethical challenges going beyond the ethically sound conduction of population genetic studies with valid informed consent and Ethics Review Boards approvals. Together with the workshop participants, we will elaborate on long‑standing and emerging challenges, such as:

• Cyberbiosecurity issues when handling forensic genetic data;
• The relational nature of genetic data, when searching genetic genealogy databases;
• The treatment of incidental findings in Forensic Genetics;
• The use of Forensic Genetics in immigration control;
• The application of AI methods in Forensic Genetics research and practice;
• The potential stigmatizing impact of forensic works on equity seeking population groups.

We look forward to lively and enriching discussions with the participants.

Speakers: Adrian Linacre and Nadja Morf

This workshop introduces participants to the fascinating and growing field of non-human DNA analysis in forensic science. While most forensic genetics focuses on human DNA, many investigations also involve biological material from animals, plants, and other biological traces that can provide valuable evidence. 

Participants will explore how working with non-human DNA differs from human DNA analysis, including sampling, analytical methods, and interpretation. The session will highlight existing standards and guidelines that support reliable and consistent work in this area. Case examples will illustrate how species identification and individual identification can assist in forensic investigations with valuable associative evidence.

Finally, the workshop will address how to clearly report and present non-human DNA findings in forensic contexts, including courtroom settings. By the end of the session, attendees will have a well-rounded understanding of the opportunities, challenges, and practical applications of non-human DNA in forensic investigations.

Speakers: Andreas Tillmar and Daniel Kling

The aim of this workshop is to give a comprehensive introduction to Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG). We will explore its history and legal aspects, along with a review of methods for SNP profiling and relationship inference. We will provide insights into genealogy DNA databases and tools for interpreting genetic matches. Theoretical presentations will be mixed with hands-on exercises.

The workshop will focus on the following topics:

• Overview of FIGG: A general introduction to FIGG and its evolution, overview of case types, legal and ethical aspects.
• Establishment of SNP Profiles: Learn about methods to generate SNP profiles. This includes whole genome sequencing, hybridization capture techniques, microarray, and PCR amplicon sequencing.
• Relationship Inference and Matching: Gain understanding in the underlying methods of inferring relationships and matching from the SNP data.
• Genealogy: Insights into the genealogy DNA databases, tools, and sources for pedigree building, and interpreting genetic matches.

Speakers: Oyvind Bleka, Peter Gill and Corina Benschop

This hands-on workshop focuses on practical DNA mixture interpretation using the latest versions of the freely available software EuroForMix and DNAStatistX, including the advanced modules EFMrep and EFMex. Participants will receive e-learning materials in advance, covering theoretical concepts and software installation. These foundations will be briefly reviewed during the course, allowing participants to progress quickly to practical exercises ranging from basic to advanced. Through these exercises, participants will explore how different settings, parameters, and propositions influence results, with underlying causes discussed in detail. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a solid understanding of the key concepts, be able to apply the software to their own data and confidently work with the range of software modules.

Day 2 - August 18^th, 2026 (8:30 AM to 12:30 PM)

Speakers: Sofie Claerhout and Arwin Ralf

In this workshop participants will learn about the possibilities that the Y-chromosome has to offer within forensic genetics. The subjects will go well beyond what currently is routinely used in forensic practice as the latest innovations on the field will be discussed. The workshop will revolve around a hypothetical forensic case, in which different options and potential outcomes will be followed step-by-step. In the process various technologies and software tools will be discussed and demonstrated. All tools will be made available to participants together with data related to the “case” to enable participants to reproduce the results at their own convenience.

Speakers: Vania Pereira and Leonor Gusmao

The workshop will explore the key concepts of ancestry inference and population assignment, focusing on the different applications of biogeographic information in the population and forensic genetic fields. Through practical exercises, participants will work with commonly used software for ancestry analyses. Discussions will cover the impact of marker selection and reference population data on the results. The incorporation of biogeographic ancestry in forensic genetic cases and the calculation of the weight of evidence will be presented, and its advantages and limitations will be addressed. Participants will be invited to discuss and interpret ancestry results in population and forensic genetic contexts.

Speakers: Ana Freire and David Ballard

In this workshop participants will learn about the possibilities that the Y-chromosome has to offer within forensic genetics. The subjects will go well beyond what currently is routinely used in forensic practice as the latest innovations on the field will be discussed. The workshop will revolve around a hypothetical forensic case, in which different options and potential outcomes will be followed step-by-step. In the process various technologies and software tools will be discussed and demonstrated. All tools will be made available to participants together with data related to the “case” to enable participants to reproduce the results at their own convenience.

Speakers: Manfred Kayser and Susan Walsh

Predicting the appearance of a trace donor from the trace DNA left behind at the crime scene in the context of forensic DNA phenotyping is relevant in cases of serious crime that lack suspects, or where all available suspects were excluded by means of forensic STR profiling, as it is in cold cases. Outcomes of DNA-based appearance prediction (together with those from DNA-based prediction of biogeographic ancestry and age not covered by this workshop) can guide police investigation to find trace donors who are not known to the authorities at the start of the investigation.

This workshop will provide in-depth background knowledge on the science and technology of genetic appearance prediction, introduce the most relevant tools, and provide hands-on experience in how to use these tools, in a lively and interactive way with time for question and answers.

Using eye, hair, and skin color, which are the appearance traits for which the science and technology of trace DNA prediction is most established, and which are applied in forensic casework since years already, we will discuss the mostly used DNA markers, DNA tools based on different technologies, prediction models, and prediction tools. We will outline how these tools were developed, discuss the pros and cons of their underlying markers, models and technologies, demonstrate practical steps how to use the prediction tools in deriving trait probabilities from (partial) genotype and sequencing data, and show how to interpret and report the prediction outcomes to the investigating authorities. We will illustrate the use of these tools with various practical examples. Moreover, we will introduce appearance prediction tools that go beyond eye, hair, and skin color. Finally, we will give an outlook on where DNA-based appearance prediction will likely go in the coming years to improve the investigative value.

Speakers: Thore Egeland and Magnus Vigeland

This course introduces the statistical foundations of genetic relatedness and their use in several forensic applications. In the first half ('Basic') we will cover pedigree analysis and kinship calculations, while the last half ('Advanced') will explore topics in pedigree reconstruction and disaster victim identification.

Speakers: Jerry Hoogenboom and Jonathan King

This workshop consists of a basic (morning session) and an advanced part (afternoon session). The advanced portion of the workshop will include hands-on exercises, for which it is recommended that participants bring their own laptops on which the software is installed. Further instructions will be provided prior to the workshop. 

Bioinformatics MPS

This workshop will focus on the availability of sequencing technologies and commercial kits, the laboratory procedures utilized to generate sequence data, first- and third-party software workflows for data analysis, best practices of reporting sequence data in forensic genomics, and basic analysis of Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) data with the STRait Razor Suite and FDSTools software will be demonstrated. Attendees will be instructed on the usage of primary (STRait Razor v3 and TSSV) and secondary analysis tools (STRait Razor Online and FDSTools) to analyze data from commercially available kits. Guidance will be given for modifying the default settings, developing configuration files for both primary and secondary analysis of laboratory-developed tests (e.g., in-house PCR multiplex assays), and considerations for further processing the output. The strengths of and rationale behind the different methods will be explored by examining the results. This way, attendees will gain a deeper insight into the powers and challenges (and solutions!) that arise from the application of MPS to forensic samples. 

Finally, recommendations will be provided regarding MPS Short Tandem Repeat (STR) allele nomenclature and some useful online resources will be introduced, including STRSeq, STRidER, and the Forensic Sequence STRucture Guide. 

Attendees should have general understanding of massively parallel sequencing of DNA markers including, but not limited to, concepts such as DNA libraries, STR repeats, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In the afternoon session, attendees will be given in-depth, guided instruction on the development of analytical methods including, but not limited to, the use of command line interface for adapting these softwares to laboratory conditions and interpretation of both STR and SNP PCR-MPS data.