Forensics Research Program Information

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Michael Marciano

General Description of Research:

• The intersection of genetic identity, DNA based forensic science and issues pertaining to national security. We leverage molecular biology and bioinformatics to address applied scientific questions relating to (1) the interpretation of low quality, low quantity DNA samples, (2) laboratory and computational (machine learning) approaches to facets of DNA mixture interpretation and (3) DNA based geolocation - the exploitation of biologicals to aid in tagging, tracking locating targets of interest.

Active Research:

• The Quantification and Characterization of Cell-Free DNA in Touch Samples
• Recovering Trace Evidence From Archival Samples
• Phylogenetic Differential Separation of Environmental Samples,
• An Unsupervised Machine Learning Approach to Differentiating Allelic Signal from Artifactual Signal in Capillary Electrophoresis Analysis of Amplified DNA
• Sex-Based Targeted Recovery of Cells in a Heterogeneous Mixture: Separating Male and Female Like-Cells, RNA-FISH Method for the Identification and Recovery of Human Cells

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: James Crill

General Description of Research:

• Engaged in four primary research directions to collectively address critical challenges in biosecurity and genomics, with implications for both public health and national security.

Ø First research focuses on exploring the single-cell characterization of biological threats from complex matrices, aiming to advance precise and rapid threat identification.

Ø Second research is dedicated to the development of comprehensive genomic databases for source attribution, contribution to the ongoing effort to track and understand the origins of biological agents

Ø Third research extends into genomics and bioinformatics, where we investigate biological identification from metagenomic samples

Ø Fourth research is developing mobile laboratory techniques for biological threat identification.

Active Research:

• Yarowia lipolytica as a model organism to study hydrocarbon and alkane degradation to inform arson studies
• Single cell isolation of biological threats from complex matrices
• Database development for genomic source attribution
• Mobile laboratory techniques for identification and characterization of environmental samples for biological monitoring

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Natalie Novotna

General Description of Research:

• Research includes whole genome amplification of single cell, touch DNA/transfer DNA and biodiverse mixed samples

Active Research:

• Whole genome amplification of single cell samples
• Short and long term TSD of bloodstain under varying environmental and surface conditions using colorimetric analysis
• Determination of TSD of saliva stains with qPCR and bacteria growth

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Deepika Das

General Description of Research:

• The application of new analytical methods to problems in forensic science. A specific focus is the development of modern physical and chemical methods to improve on the detection of drugs and drug metabolites in bodily fluids and environmental matrices through separation methods, gas chromatography and liquid chromatography.
• Targeted drugs are opioids, cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids, and also novel psychoactive substances.

Active Research:

• Improving extraction and quantitation methods of mitragynine in urine samples
• Quantitation of carboxy-THC and Synthetic Cannabinoids in Oral Fluid via GCMS
• Differentiation of Positional Isomers of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS)
• Investigations into the microbial degradation of fire accelerants and soil contaminants

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Michael Sponsler

General Description of Research:

• Organic and organometallic chemistry applied to electrical and optical materials, including sensors

Active Research:

• Quartz Crystal Microbalance sensors modified with holographic gratings for high sensitivity and real-time national security applications
• Polyacetylene inclusion crystals with unusual electrical properties, possibly even high-temperature superconductivity

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: James Spencer

General Description of Research:

• Developing a new generation of solid-state sensors with exceptional response and selectivity properties based upon the use of modified piezoelectric solid-state oscillators, including functionalized Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCM).
• In this work we are collaborating with researchers at the Upstate Medical University, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Universidade Technologicia a Federal do Parana (UTFPR, Brazil), and MolecuSense Inc., as well as other research groups at Syracuse University.

Active Research:

• New approaches for photovoltaic systems based upon functionalized hexagonal-boron nitride nanosheets. These have shown promise for new light-harvesting systems and have shown a measurable photo-response.
• Spencer Research Group (https://spencergroup.syr.edu/research/)

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Matthew Kurimsky

General Description of Research:

• Research conducted with firearms will be used to determine firearm technology and its impacts for the identification and testing of firearms as well as the identification of ammunition, manufacturing, reloading, and hand loading.

Active Research:

• Firearm technology and its impact firearms testing and firearm identification.
• Ammunition manufacturing/reloading/hand loading and its impact on firearms identification
• Impact of DNA and latent print processing on firearm and ammunition operability.

Internal, external, and terminal ballistics

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Tej K. Bhatia

General Description of Research:

• Forensic Linguistics and its international dimensions, including invited lectures on the international dimensions of Forensic Linguistics in Asia and Europe.

Active Research:

• Multilingual Schizophrenia
• Accent, mental health and trauma
• “Prediction of coronary heart disease mortality from linguistic analysis of interpersonal conflict”. The 2019 Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Grant. On-going.

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Brian Young

General Description of Research:

• Bioinformatic analysis of DNA mixtures to include STRs, microhaplotypes, mtDNA

Active Research:

• Methods to calculate lower limits of detection for PCR-MPS data
• Analysis of microhaplotypes
• Deconvolution of mixed mtDNA
• Establishment of allele frequencies for sequence-based alleles

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Robert Silver

General Description of Research:

• Focuses on assessment, elucidation and understanding of the mechanisms of cell decisions and assessment of activation responses and state changes under “normal” conditions and countering weapons of mass destruction.

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Filipe Lemos

General Description of Research:

• Current research involving students to coding, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), digital and computational forensics to help students understand the implications and importance security education, forensic engineering, software defined networks and cybersecurity.

Active Research:

• Brianna Cardillo research “What to Read Next? Using Historical Reader Preferences to Promote Books from Marginalized Authors,” aimed to develop a machine learning algorithm that could suggest books, with a specific focus on promoting works by underrepresented writers

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Thiago Cavali

General Description of Research:

• Current research involving students to coding, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), digital and computational forensics to help students understand the implications and importance security education, forensic engineering, software defined networks and cybersecurity.

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Timothy Korter

General Description of Research:

• Measuring the low-frequency vibrations (generally sub-200 cm-1) of molecular crystals for mapping the multi-dimensional intermolecular potential energy surface that governs their physical properties.
• The physical characteristics of molecular solids that range from the thermodynamic stability of crystalline polymorphs, to the hygroscopicity of drug formulations, to the mechanical elasticity of biopolymers.

Active Research:

• “Polymorphism in cis-trans Muconic Acid Crystals and the Role of C-H···O Hydrogen Bonds”
• “Raman Spectroscopy of Organic Gunshot Residues”

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: James Hewett

General Description of Research:

• Explores the function of endogenous neuromodulatory mechanisms activated within the brain under pathological conditions, with a particular interest in epilepsy.
• Better understanding of the function of endogenous neuromodulatory mechanism in epilepsy may identify novel therapeutic targets for new antiepileptic drug development.

Active Research:

• Research in collaboration with the laboratory of Sandra Hewett
• Centered on glial cell biology as it pertains to mechanisms of responsiveness within the astrocyte and microglia populations of the central nervous system.

Ø Results from this research have led us to propose the concept of population-based control of gene expression, whereby the intensity of the reaction of a population of cells to a given stimulus is determined to a large extent by the number of cells within the population that are recruited to respond.

• “P2X7-dependent constitutive Interleukin-1β release from pyramidal neurons of the normal mouse hippocampus: Evidence for a role in maintenance of the innate seizure threshold”

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Davoud Mozhdehi

General Description of Research:

• Bioinspired materials, macromolecular chemistry, protein-based materials, and post-translational modifications.

Ø Research will leverage the recent advances in synthetic and macromolecular chemistry, recombinant protein expression, and emergent biotechnology tools to create polymer-based material systems as innovative solutions for the complex health, national security, energy, and environmental challenges in the twenty-first century.

Active Research:

• Creating smart coacervates, a macromolecular-rich phase resulting from the liquid-liquid phase transition of polymer solutions

Ø Develop supramolecular platforms to program the assembly of polymer-rich coacervates. To achieve this goal, we will study the phase behavior of sequence-defined hybrid materials designed in the first research theme. Desi gn and study coacervate-based dynamic macromolecular networks that actively convert energy and communicate through feedback loops.

• Study the phase behavior of sequence-defined hybrid materials designed in the first research theme.

Ø Expand this design space through chemoenzymatic attachment of synthetic supramolecular motifs to these (bio)polymers when the biogenic synthesis is not possible.

Ø Ultimately, we are interested to control the dynamics of the coacervate formation through this strategy and to apply our findings to the design of novel coacervate-based delivery platforms.

• “Development of a Nondestructive Protein Hydrogel to Maximize Collection of Cell-free DNA for Forensic Application”

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Roy D. Welch

Active Research:

• Substrate stiffness regulates collective colony expansion of the social bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Ø Myxococcus xanthus is a social soil bacterium with two distinctly regulated modes of surface motility, termed the social motility mode driven by type iv pili and the adventurous motility mode based on focal adhesion complexes. How bacteria sense different surfaces and subsequently coordinate their collective motion remains largely unclear.

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Joshua C. Felver

General Description of Research:

• Research is focused on developing, implementing, and exploring biomechanisms (e.g., stress reactivity) of mindfulness-based programs in school and community settings to address health disparities in diverse and at-risk populations.

Active Research:

• “Effects of a Brief Intervention: Compassion Experience Study- Perceived Impact of Bots in Psychological Research”

Name of Faculty/Adjunct: Kenneth J. Marilius

Active Research:

• “Parental Mentalization and Discipline Strategy Among Veteran Parents”