Speakers

Dr. Roland van Oorschot is a leading forensic scientist known globally for his pioneering research in DNA transfer, persistence, prevalence, and recovery (DNA‑TPPR). He is credited with advancing the understanding of "touch DNA” in forensic genetics, a concept he helped establish.

Dr. van Oorschot holds a degree in agricultural science and engineering from the Netherlands and earned his MSc and PhD in marsupial genetics from Macquarie University, Australia. He completed postdoctoral research in gene mapping at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio Texas and investigated genetics of disease resistance in sheep at Melbourne University before joining Victoria Police Forensic Services in 1992. Over his career there, he has served as Researcher & Trainer, Head of Sexual Offences Intelligence, and Manager of Quality Management and R&D. Since 2015, he has been a Principal RD&I Specialist in the Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist. He is also an Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University Melbourne and serves on course advisory committees at a few universities.

Dr. van Oorschot received the Victoria Police Chief Commissioner’s Commendation in 2000 for exemplary services in the field of DNA‑based research which radically changed the method of collection of samples resulting in new techniques to assist in forensic investigation of a broad range of crimes. In 2024, he was awarded the Scientific Excellence Prize by the International Society for Forensic Genetics for his global leadership in our understanding DNA Transfer, Persistence, Prevalence, and Recovery. With over 230 scientific publications, including his seminal 1997 Nature article on retrieving directly and indirectly deposited DNA from touched objects, many of which are highly read and cited, Dr. van Oorschot has helped shape forensic science practice and legal considerations worldwide. 

Roland has mentored over 130 postgraduate students, many of whom now hold key roles in forensic laboratories, policing agencies, and academic institutions throughout Australia. He contributes to shaping the future of forensic science through ongoing research and mentoring activities, including his involvement as a co‑investigator on multiple grant‑funded projects and participation in international research collaborations. As an experienced peer reviewer and thesis examiner, he supports the advancement of scientific rigor in the field. His current research focuses on DNA transfer, persistence, prevalence, and recovery, contamination minimization, and maximizing the investigative potential of biological samples in criminal cases.

He will have the honor to open the congress since he won the Scientific Excellence Award in Santiago de Compostela in 2024, which is the most prestigious scientific award that the ISFG is offering.

The plenary session is entitled: DNA TPPR dynamics and impacts: the continuing story of a touchy subject

Wojciech Branicki is a professor in the Faculty of Biology at Jagiellonian University in Kraków and Vice Director for Science at the Institute of Forensic Research in Kraków. He has over 20 years' experience in developing DNA‑based forensic investigative tools.

His early work advanced the field of forensic DNA phenotyping, particularly in the prediction of pigmentation traits such as eye, hair and skin colour. His research then expanded to include other appearance traits, such as age‑related phenotypes, and forensic epigenetics. He made a significant contribution to the development of DNA methylation‑based models for the accurate estimation of age in various tissues. His current projects include investigating facial genetics using computer tomography and whole‑genome sequencing, as well as forensic epigenetics, through his involvement in the ForMAT EU consortium, which focuses on developing novel epigenetic tools for forensic, DVI and legal applications.

He is a member of the International Society for Forensic Genetics since 2004 and founder of its Polish Working Group (Chair 2017–2021). 

The plenary session is entitled: Advances in DNA Phenotyping and Epigenetic Profiling for Forensic Human Identification

Chantal Frégeau obtained her Ph.D. from the Dept. of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta in 1991 and then joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Operational Support Unit of the Molecular Genetics Section in Ottawa.

She was instrumental in the development, validation and implementation of the PCR program and automated processes for the National DNA Data Bank of Canada and for Biology Operations. For her significant contributions, she was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal in 2002 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medal in 2012. As a senior research scientist within the Forensic Science & Identification Services Directorate, she continues to develop and implement new strategies for human identification to facilitate casework processing in the laboratory or at the crime scene for Biology Operations. She also collaborates with members of the RCMP CBRNE Branch and Integrated Forensic Identification Services to support DNA‑related work. She has recently led projects on forensic phenotyping and biogeographical ancestry inference and Rapid DNA technologies. She is currently involved in the validation of the ForenSeqâ Kintelligence assay for its potential use in cold case investigations and missing persons identification.

She was a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences for 15 years (2007‑2022) and is a guest reviewer for Forensic Science International:Genetics, Forensic Science International, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, and Journal of Forensic Sciences.

The plenary session is entitled: A historical perspective on forensic DNA typing analysis in Canada

Christi Guerrini, JD, MPH, is Associate Professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Director of the Health Policy Pathway. 

She conducts research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and private foundations on the ethical, legal, and social implications of biomedical research and technologies, with a focus on genetics and genomics. She has helped lead various qualitative and quantitative studies related to public preferences, ethical practices, and policy options for investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) as well as an ongoing policy surveillance study of IGG‑relevant U.S. privacy laws. She has published dozens of articles and book chapters on IGG and other research topics in scientific and legal journals. 

Prior to joining BCM, she practiced law in Chicago and Houston. 

The plenary session is entitled: Investigating IGG: Ethics, Public Trust, and the Governance Frontier.

Leonor Gusmão is a Professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil, with a career spanning more than three decades in human population genetics and its applications to forensic genetics and kinship analysis. She received her diploma in Biology from the University of Porto, Portugal, in 1990, followed by a Master’s Degree in Cellular Biology from the University of Coimbra in 1993, and a PhD in Biology - Population Genetics from the University of Porto in 1997.

Throughout her career, she has focused on advancing knowledge in human population and forensic genetics through scientific publications, student training, teaching, international collaborations, and active participation in scientific societies. Her contributions include the study and application of Y‑chromosomal, X‑chromosomal, and ancestry‑informative markers to the forensic field; the investigation and modeling of microsatellite mutation rates; the development and evaluation of methodologies for ancestry estimation; and the genetic reconstruction of population history in European, African, South American admixed, and Native populations.

She is Vice‑President of GHEP‑ISFG (the Spanish and Portuguese‑language working group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics), and Associate Editor of Forensic Science International: Genetics (Elsevier Science, London).

The plenary session is entitled: The Role of Population Genetics in the Forensic Field: Advances and Current Challenges.

Michael Marciano is a Professor of Practice and the Director for Research in the College of Arts and Sciences Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute at Syracuse.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Forensic Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Structural Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics. He teaches Forensic Analysis of Biological Evidence, Forensic DNA Analysis and Research and Careers Resources in Forensic Science. 

His research focuses on the analysis and interpretation of low quality/quantity human and non‑human DNA samples using both wet bench techniques and statistical/machine learning methods. He was previously employed as a forensic DNA analyst at Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences. He later joined SRC Inc., a non‑profit defense contractor, where he focused on research and development of DNA‑based applications for tagging, tracking and locating targets.

Dr. Marciano served, as a member, and now affiliate, on the Human Biology OSAC group where he chairs the research needs committee, he is the co‑chair of the Single Cell Working Group on the National Technology Validation and Implementation Collaborative, is a commissioner on the New York State Commission on Forensic Sciences and a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

The plenary session is entitled: Evolution in resolution: the birth of modern single cell forensics