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Forensic Analysis of Human DNA

Gordon Research Conference

Connecting Fundamental Science, Innovative Methodologies, and Casework Applications

June 22 - 27, 2025

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GRC Education Requirements: Undergraduates or those who have not obtained a bachelor's degree in science/engineering (or acceptable equivalent) are not eligible to apply to attend Gordon Research Conferences or Seminars.

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Jordan Hotel at Sunday River

27 Grand Circle

Newry, Maine, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Application Information

Applications for this meeting must be submitted by May 25, 2025. Please apply early, as some meetings become oversubscribed (full) before this deadline. If the meeting is oversubscribed, it will be stated here. Note: Applications for oversubscribed meetings will only be considered by the conference chair if more seats become available due to cancellations.

Conference Description

The Forensic Analysis of Human DNA GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Forensic Analysis of Human DNA" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Impacts of Forensic Research We Can and Cannot See Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 8:00 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
8:00 pm - 8:25 pm	"Thinking Wholistically About the Impact of Forensic Science Data, Outcomes, and Applications: Lessons Learned from Casework and Research"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:00 pm	"Giving Effect to Te Ao Māori, an Indigenous World View in Forensic Genetics: Navigating Social, Ethical and Equity Issues in Aotearoa New Zealand"
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm	Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Techniques for Challenging Samples Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:15 am - 9:45 am	"Advancing into the Age of Third-Generation Sequencing in Forensic Genetics: Towards a Universal Assay Platform"
9:45 am - 9:55 am	Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am	"Pragmatic Bioinformatic Solutions for Challenging DNA Profiles"
10:25 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am	"Rootless Hair as a Reliable Source of Forensic DNA"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	General Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address the interests and needs of all scientists and the challenges they face in their careers. Specifically, the program promotes meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages about barriers to career advancement and strategies to support the professional growth of all members of the community. The GRC Power Hour™ is open to all conference participants. Organizer:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Characterization by Omics Approaches Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:05 pm	"Forens-OMICS Updates: Post-Mortem Interval and Age-at-Death Estimations via Multi-Omics Analyses"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:35 pm	"Towards Uncovering Unique Repetitive (epi)Genomic Patterns Using Long-Read Sequencing"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pm	"Shotgun Sequencing of RNA and DNA for Forensic Purposes"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Diverging from DNA by Using RNA, Peptides and Microbes Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:15 am - 9:45 am	"Microbes and Other Markers: A New Alliance for Body Fluid Identification?"
9:45 am - 9:55 am	Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am	"Assessing Geolocation Using Human DNA Viruses"
10:25 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am	"Can Metagenomic Analysis Provide Useful Intelligence Leads in Cases Where Traditional Methods Have Been Exhausted?"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	General Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Activity-Level Analysis and Reporting Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:05 pm	"Activity Level Reporting: Should We be Switzerland?"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:35 pm	"Increasing DNA Recovery and Its Impact on Activity-Level Assessments"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pm	"Fostering an Evaluative Mindset in the Forensic Laboratory"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Making the Most of Lineage Analysis Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:15 am - 9:45 am	"From Origins to Innovation: The Current Practice of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) in the US."
9:45 am - 9:55 am	Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am	"Optimizing SNP Genotyping Approaches for Challenging Forensic Samples in Human Identifications"
10:25 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am	"Using the X-FORCE: Solving an Old Identification Case with the FORCE Panel"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	General Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Inferring the Age of Stains, Donors or Post-Mortem Interval Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:05 pm	"Epigenetic Profiling of Sample Donor Age, Face Age, and Behavior"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:35 pm	"Microbiome Tools for Predicting the Postmortem Interval of Human Cadavers"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pm	"TrACES of Time: Transcriptomic Analyses for the Contextualization of Evidential Stains"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Progress in Forensics Through Machine Learning and AI Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:15 am - 9:40 am	"Driving Forensic Biology Forward With the Use of Artificial Intelligence"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:15 am	"Machine Learning to Improve STR Profile Quality"
10:15 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:55 am	Coffee Break
10:55 am - 11:20 am	"Assessment of 3D Facial Phenotyping Strategies in Genetic Mapping Efforts"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:55 am	"Probability Elicitation for Rigorous Forensic Expert Testimony"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:20 pm	General Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Single Cell Analysis and Microfluidics Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:05 pm	"Microfluidics Tools in Forensics: from Sample Processing to Single Cell Analysis"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:35 pm	"Salience, Legitimacy and Credibility of two Single-Cell Probabilistic Systems"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pm	"Micromanipulated Single Cell Subsampling, Genetic Analysis, Clustering, and Probabilistic Genotyping for Complex Mixture Deconvolution"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Forensic Analysis of Human DNA (GRS) Contribute Financially to This Conference

Conference Fees

Similar Conferences

Poster Information

Poster sessions are an integral part of the our conferences, and offer all conferees an opportunity to discuss their research.

Preparing your GRC poster

Funding Opportunities

Financial assistance is available beginning in 2026 for qualified applicants through the Carl Storm Opportunity Fellowships program. Learn more.

Registration Fees

Conferee Single Room:

$1,665.00

Conferee Shared Room:

$1,300.00

Conferee Off-Site:

$930.00

Guest Single Room:

$1,475.00

Guest Shared Room:

$1,110.00

Guest Off-Site:

$740.00

Child 4-12 yrs Shared Room:

$555.00

Child 4-12 yrs Off-Site:

$370.00

Child Under 4 yrs Shared Room:

Free

Child Under 4 yrs Off-Site:

Free

Bus Arriving:

$62.00

Bus Departing:

$62.00

Additional Fee Info

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