Forensic DNA Analyst

Forensic DNA Analyst

Forensic DNA Analysts & Biotechnology

Collecting DNA samples from hair, skin cells, fingerprints, saliva, and blood, are all methods of DNA sampling used in Biotechnology.

Biotechnology:

utilizes cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet.

Together, Biotechnology and Forensic Science is combined to form Forensic DNA Analysis, where technology, as well as the techniques used in biotechnology are used to link subjects to a crime scene.

Requirements for Career

Required Education

Career Outlook

- analysts must have a bachelor’s degree in a field that is related to forensic science, genetics, chemistry, or molecular biology.

-need to have clinical training inside of a lab where they can demonstrate that they can handle working with the equipment, and most importantly, the DNA samples.

• The field of forensic science should grow at a rate of 19% between 2010 and 2020.

• Currently, there are over 13,000 jobs in the field, and is said to be increased over these couple of years.

• Forensic DNA Analysts are needed because.... Forensic DNA evidence can be precise and definitive, and has been crucial in establishing the guilt of a number of criminals (especially since the number of people committing crimes increases every year).

Salary

- pays an average annual salary of $57,000.

- those with the most experience and who work in large metropolitan areas earn up to $70,000 per year.

-The lowest 10% of forensic science technicians in the United States earned as little as $32,300, while those in the highest 10% earned as much as $85,210.

Factors that could affect the amount of money earned includes location, the type of work that one is doing, and the department for which one works.

Who are

Forensic DNA Analysts?

Forensic DNA analysts are people who work to examine DNA samples in crime labs that potentially link subjects to crime scenes.

Thank You!

Why is it crucial to have Forensic DNA Analysts working in the field?

New DNA Database Used to Strenghten Forensic Science

The Project Research Openness for Validation with Empirical Data database (PROVEDit) will help reduce the risk of misinterpreting profiles.

Technology originated from

Biotechnology

Fingerprint Development Chamber

designed for the rapid development of fingerprints on a variety of surfaces including paper, cardboard and wood.

controls high temperatures and humidity for developing ninhydrin (a synthetic crystalline compound that forms deeply colored products with primary amines and is used in analytical tests for amino acids) process fingerprints

(consists of about 25,000 samples)

The Work Environment

Depending on.....

Smaller Areas

Larger Areas

• analysts rarely work outside of the laboratory.

• budgets are limited.

• the analyst may be required to travel to the crime scene to collect DNA evidence.

• Researchers spent more than 6 years developing different algorithims that helped show better results, especially since genetic material could come from one, two, three, four, or five people.

• Laboratories would be able to use the database to validate or test new or existing DNA samples, and make sure that it would be used precisely in the forensic lab.

DNA analysts work directly with police departments at the local, state, and federal level, and also for private companies that offer services to law enforcement agencies.

Processes originated from

Biotechnology

DNA Fingerprinting / DNA Profiling:

process where a specific DNA pattern, called a profile, is obtained from a person or sample of bodily tissue.

These processes are used to...

• identify the origin of a body fluid sample associated with a crime or crime scene
• reveal family relationships
• find information about an individual (age, gender, etc.)
• identify invidivuals (in a disaster, crime scene, etc.)

What do they do?

• take samples collected by crime scene investigators and analyze them in a laboratory.

• compare the DNA found at a crime scene or on a suspect, and compare it to the DNA of the victim.

By Ana M