Careers in Forensics

1. Careers in Forensics

2. Odontologist • An odontologist is a dentist who applies the principles of dentistry to identify human remains and bite marks.

3. Pathologist • A pathologist is a medical doctor who determines cause of death by performing an autopsy.

4. Forensic Anthropologist • A forensic anthropologist identifies skeletal remains and determines sex, age, race, or marks of trauma.

5. Forensic Engineer • A forensic engineer applies engineering concepts in legal situations (for instance accident reconstruction or failure analysis).

6. Ballistic Analyst • A ballistic analyst examines guns and ammunition and interprets gunshot wounds or gunshot marks and residue.

7. Document Examiner • A document examiner analyzes written documents. He may study handwriting, typewriting, paper, ink, and any other features of documents.

8. Serologist • A Serologist identifies and examines blood and other bodily fluids.

9. Toxicologist • A toxicologist's specialty is poison. A toxicologist determines if drugs or other chemicals (poisons) contributed to the cause of death or were present in a crime.

10. Forensic Entomologist • An entomologist studies life cycles of insects to help determine the approximate time of death of a victim in a murder investigation.

11. What skills do these jobs take? • A college degree • Good eye-sight • Keen observation skills • Curiosity and imagination • Ability and patience to work with details • Integrity • Being objective and free of bias and prejudice • Ability to keep accurate records

12. You may have to appear at a court hearing so... • You must be a skilled speaker • You must have good data management skills • You must be able to keep good scientific records

13. The Workplace...you may work for: • The local, state, or federal government • For a lab that analyzes different types of evidence • As an independent consultant • In a hospital, office, or university • In the morgue or medical examiners office • At the crime scene