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Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS)

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Center Overview

The Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS) serves as a platform to conduct interdisciplinary and innovative research to address the needs of the forensic science laboratory community. CARFS brings together forensic science leaders in state-of-the-art research laboratories, specialized facilities, and institutes across the nation to solve the most complex problems facing forensic science today.

The combined knowledge of the forensic faculty allows CARFS to address a wide range of forensic science problems, whether in the form of long-term, high-risk discovery or shorter term, deliverable-driven research. CARFS produces novel findings and tools for a range of stakeholders, including forensic science practitioners, research laboratories, industrial partners, government, and private forensic science end users.

CARFS' goal is to develop, implement, and commercialize tools that benefit the national forensic science research enterprise by uniting experts in multidisciplinary backgrounds to address the direct needs of industrial members, ultimately providing products, techniques, strategies, and methodologies for the end-user community in the forensic science enterprise.

Universities

Florida International University
Boston University
University of South Alabama
Texas A&M University
Sam Houston State University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Kenneth Furton
Center Director and FIU Research Site Director
+1 305 348 0022
furtonk@fiu.edu

Aaron Tarone
Center Associate Director and TAMU Research Site Director
aaron.tarone@ag.tamu.edu

Adam Hall
BU Research Site Director
+1 617 358 0401
adamhall@bu.edu

Michael Chambers
USA Research Site Director
+1 251 460 6333
michaelchambers@southalabama.edu

Sarah Kerrigan
SHSU Research Site Director
sxk003@shsu.edu

Roberta Petry Gorziza
CARFS Grant Manager
+1 305 348 8403
roberta.gorziza@fiu.edu

Research Focus

CARFS researchers are experts in a wide range of forensic disciplines, including:

Behavioral sciences.
Computer science.
Cyber forensics in both hardware and software.
Digital forensics/data analytics.
Forensic anthropology.
Forensic chemistry.
Forensic engineering and instrumentation.
Forensic entomology.
Forensic microbiology.
Forensic molecular biology.
Forensic statistics.
Legal psychology.

CARFS plans to expand to include other forensic disciplines.

Awards

1739805

Phase I IUCRC Florida International University: Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS)

In recent decades, a rapid transition from fundamental discoveries to forensic method development has improved the quality of evidence in many types of forensic investigations. However, there has also been a call, at the national level, for forensic disciplines to address their scientific limitations and expand fundamental research that can underpin and improve existing and developing forensic applications. Investigators at Florida International University (FIU) and the University of South Alabama (USA), along with affiliated collaborators at Northeastern University (NE), George Washington University (GWU), Texas A&M University (TAMU), and the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), will address aspects of this broad challenge through the formation of the Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS). This Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) will serve as a platform for innovative and, in many cases, interdisciplinary forensic science research activities at the interface of academia, government, and industry. CARFS will initially include digital forensics/data analytics (USA), forensic chemistry (FIU/NE/GWU), forensic molecular biology (FIU/GWU), and forensic microbiology (TAMU/UNT), with the possibility of future expansion to include other forensic disciplines. The Center is anticipated to provide new findings and tools to a range of stakeholders, including forensic science practitioners, research laboratories, industrial partners, and government and private forensic science end users, and will ultimately support safety and justice for the nation. The Center's research sites will also provide training opportunities to a diverse group of students, thus supporting the pipeline of future forensic researchers. As part of CARFS, the FIU site, including affiliates at GWU and NE, will focus on forensic chemistry and molecular biology, with additional interests in computer science and psychology. At FIU, research will focus on topics including epigenetic markers for age estimation and trace forensic body fluid identification, rapid and portable tools for the organic and inorganic characterization of materials, and explosives detection techniques. FIU will collaborate with GWU and NE on topics including rapid DNA profiling and mass spectroscopic characterization of designer drugs. Fundamental research in molecular biology, separation science and mass spectrometric detection at these institutions will address scientific challenges in forensics as well as in other areas such as drug discovery/development, homeland security, and the fuel industry. Across the six institutions involved in CARFS there is also potential for innovative projects that span and integrate digital and laboratory sciences. This grant is jointly supported by NSF (Division of Chemistry, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate; and Division Of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate) and the National Institute of Justice (Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences). Read More >

1740434

Phase I IUCRC University of South Alabama: Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS)

In recent decades, a rapid transition from fundamental discoveries to forensic method development has improved the quality of evidence in many types of forensic investigations. However, there has also been a call, at the national level, for forensic disciplines to address their scientific limitations and expand fundamental research that can underpin and improve existing and developing forensic applications. Investigators at the University of South Alabama (USA) and Florida International University (FIU), along with affiliated collaborators at Texas A&M University (TAMU), the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), Northeastern University (NE), and George Washington University (GWU), will address aspects of this broad challenge through the formation of the Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS). This Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) will serve as a platform for innovative and, in many cases, interdisciplinary forensic science research activities at the interface of academia, government, and industry. CARFS will initially include digital forensics/data analytics (USA), forensic chemistry (FIU/NE/GWU), forensic molecular biology (FIU/GWU), and forensic microbiology (TAMU/UNT), with the possibility of future expansion to include other forensic disciplines. The Center is anticipated to provide new findings and tools to a range of stakeholders, including forensic science practitioners, research laboratories, industrial partners, and government and private forensic science end users, and will ultimately support safety and justice for the nation. The Center's research sites will also provide training opportunities to a diverse group of students, thus supporting the pipeline of future forensic researchers. As part of CARFS, the USA site, including affiliates at TAMU and UNTHSC, will focus on digital and microbial forensics. At USA, research will focus on Digital Forensic Information Intelligence, including the development, testing, and implementation of novel approaches to understand not only how devices, information systems, and software can be compromised, but also how one can reliably determine how those compromises occurred. The research will support the development of new technologies with potentially cross cutting industry impact: (1) mobile devices, (2) additive manufacturing, (3) medical devices, (4) transportation systems, as well as (5) generation and storage of large scale data sets (forensic microbiology). At TAMU and UNTHSC, research will focus on forensically important phenomena of decomposition and ecological recycling of vertebrate carrion, to support human identification and source attribution; taphonomy; counterterrorism/drug interdiction; and validation services. The research will address scientific challenges in forensics as well as applications in broader areas of human importance (e.g., food safety, engineering, structural integrity, agriculture). Across the six institutions involved in CARFS there is also potential for innovative projects that span and integrate digital and laboratory sciences. This grant is jointly supported by NSF (Division of Chemistry, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate; and Division Of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate) and the National Institute of Justice (Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences). Read More >