Purpose: The Interdisciplinary Faculty Group in Forensic and Investigative Sciences (IFG-FIVS) serves to represent the multi-institutional and multidisciplinary expertise for research based information in forensics and investigative sciences. The IFG-FIVS is compatible with the academic degree and occupational training programs offered by various universities, institutes, and agencies within Texas.
Goals: The goals for the IFG-FIVS are to:
- Create a working environment that enhances the opportunities for scholarly excellence that produces collaborative, comprehensive, and relevant research programs within forensics that successfully compete for extramural funding;
- Increase diversification, recruitment, retention, and success of graduate students, faculty members, and research staff;
- Develop processes for personnel growth and mentoring at all levels in the research enterprise and its application to classroom teaching, student mentorship, occupational training, policy development and other assorted engagement activities.
Meetings: The next meeting will be Spring 2012.
List of Faculty:
Dr. Garry Adams
Professor, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://vetmed.tamu.edu/vtpb/directorydetail?userid=1819|
Email: gadams(at)cvm.tamu.edu
Telephone: (979) 845-9816
Expertise in: Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens, Infectious Diseases, Biodefense
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Jacqueline Ann Aitkenhead-Peterson
Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/professors/peterson/profile.htm
Email: jpeterson(at)ag.tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-3682
Expertise in: Soil and water biogeochemistry; Cadaver decomposition signatures in soil.
Available for Casework in the Area of: Analysis of soil under human remains
Dr. Vaughn M. Bryant
Professor and Director of the Palynology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://anthropology.tamu.edu/faculty/directory.php?ID=212
Email: vbryant(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-5242
Expertise in: Palynology (pollen grains) & Paleoethnobotany (use of plants by past cultures)
Available for Casework in the Areas of: or Not Available for Casework
Dr. Craig Coates
A
ssociate Professor, Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://insects.tamu.edu/people/faculty/coatesc.cfm
Email: c-coates(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-458-1219
Expertise in: Genetic transformation systems of insects
Not Available for Casework
Dr. John Edens
Professor, Department of Psychology
College of Liberal Arts
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://psychology.tamu.edu/Fac_Ext.php?ID=216
Email: johnedens(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-6097
Expertise in: Forensic Psychology, Personality Assessment, Violence Risk, Psychopathy
Available for Casework in the Area of: Forensic Psychological Assessment/Consultation
Dr. Kevin M. Heinz
Professor and Director of the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program
Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://insects.tamu.edu/people/faculty/heinzk.cfm
Email: kmheinz(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-862-3407
Expertise in: Insect Biology
Not Available for Casework
Dr. David Ragsdale
Professor and Department Head, Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://insects.tamu.edu/people/faculty/ragsdale.php
Email: dragsdale(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-2510
Expertise in: Insect Vectors of Plant Pathogens, Biological Control of Weeds
Not Available for Casework
Mr. Tom Shehan
Director Public Safety and Security Division, Texas Engineering Extension Service
Texas A&M University System, College Station
Website: http://teex.com/teex.cfm?templateid=2&area=teex&searchstring=neshehan&divselect=teex
Email: Tom.Shehan(at)TEEXmail.tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-458-2766
Expertise in: Administrative oversight of the Texas Forensic Science Academy
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Cliff Spiegelman
Distinguished Professor, Department of Statistics
College of Science
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://www.stat.tamu.edu/directory-details.php?directoryid=63
Email: cliff(at)stat.tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-8887
Expertise in: Statistical aspects of forensics transportation, environmental statistics, chemometrics.
Available for casework in Firearms/toolmarks, compositional bullet lead, error rates for matching
Dr. Aaron Tarone
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://insects.tamu.edu/people/faculty/tarone.cfm
Email: amtarone(at)ag.tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-862-1311
Expertise in: Forensic Entomology and Forensic Genetics
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Pete D. Teel
Professor and Associate Department for Academic Programs, Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://insects.tamu.edu/people/faculty/teelp.cfm
Email: pteel(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-3253
Expertise in: Medical/Veterinary Entomology, Ticks & Tick Borne Diseases.
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Jeff Tomberlin
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://insects.tamu.edu/people/faculty/tomberlinj.cfm
Email: jktomberlin(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-9718
Expertise in: Forensic Entomology, Insect Colonization of Decomposing Matter
Available for casework estimating minimum postmortem interval & period of insect activity
Dr. Meredith A. Turnbough
Assistant Professor and Director of the Life Technologies Center for Forensic Excellence
Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics,
Institute of Applied Genetics
University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Forth Worth
Websites: www.untcfe.org /
http://www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/Forensics/Center%20for%20Forensic%20Excellence.cfm
Email: meredith.turnbough(at)unthsc.edu
Telephone: 817-735-2739
Expertise in: Molecular Biology, Forensic Genetics
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Victor Ugaz
Associate Professor, Kenneth R. Hall Development Professor
Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://www.che.tamu.edu/people/faculty/info?fid=11
Email: ugaz(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-458-1002
Expertise in: DNA analysis technologies
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Jason West
Assistant Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Texas AgriLife Research and Extension
Texas A&M University System, College Station
Website: http://essm.tamu.edu/people-info/faculty/west-jason
Email: jbwest(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-845-3772
Expertise in: Forensic applications of stable isotopes and isoscapes.
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Phillip Williamson
Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity
Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Forth Worth
Website: https://profile.hsc.unt.edu/profilesystem/viewprofile.php?pid=10017820&onlyview=1
Email: Phillip.Williamson(at)unthsc.edu
Telephone: 817-735-0277
Expertise in: Microbial genetics; microbial forensics; vector-borne, emerging, infectious diseases
Not Available for Casework
Dr. Lori Wright
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts
Texas A&M University, College Station
Website: http://anthropology.tamu.edu/faculty/directory.php?ID=234
Email: lwright(at)tamu.edu
Telephone: 979-862-7665
Expertise in: bioarchaeology; paleodiet; paleopathology; mortuary archaeology
Not Available for Casework