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Research in the FBI Laboratory

Research in the FBI Laboratory. Gene Peters Chief, Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research FBI Laboratory. Importance of Research. Develop new capabilities Improve current processes and methods Improve the scientific foundation and defensibility. Research Management.

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Research in the FBI Laboratory

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  1. Research in the FBI Laboratory Gene Peters Chief, Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research FBI Laboratory

  2. Importance of Research • Develop new capabilities • Improve current processes and methods • Improve the scientific foundation and defensibility

  3. Research Management • Research Review Team (RRT) • Institutional Review Board (IRB) • Laboratory Research Strategy and Gap Analysis • Research Review Team • Six SLs, Research Chief • Chartered to: • Evaluate ideas &proposals for research • Make go/no-go decisions • Evaluate research plans, proposals, and SOWs • Monitor research in progress • Evaluate progress and make close-out decisions • Research staff: Dedicated, full-time researchers • Research teams • Include case-work unit representatives

  4. Research Success • Success = • Delivery of: • New / improved method, device, prototype, software • Technical information • Scientific publications + PLUS + • Adoption: • Changing business models • Deploying new methods, tools, etc. • Improved defensibility

  5. Research Publications

  6. Research Portfolios and Projects (Unclassified) • Decision Analysis Studies • Latent prints • Firearms • Shoeprints • Handwriting • Geographic Attribution • IR spectra of soil • Species ID by DNA barcoding • Reliability of public sequence databases • Probabilistic modeling • Next Generation Sequencing • mtDNA sequencing • Platform-independent workflow/pipeline • Product/kit evaluation • Validation of instruments, procedures • Ion Torrent™ and Illumina MiSeq™ platforms • Improved library preparation • New Capabilities • Production signatures of Al powders • Improved cleanup method for explosive residues in soil • Protein signatures in human hair • Estimating stature from craniometry • Feasibility of bone fracture age estimation • Method for sugar and sugar alcohol explosive analysis • Improved Processes • QPCR v.3 • Improved staining for telogen hairs to ID nDNA • Alternative reducing agents for DNA • Phosphate buffers for DNA analysis • Clandestine grave discovery • Scientific Defensibility • RACs on shoes/shoeprints • Population study for GHB in hair • Fingerprint permanence • Handwriting individuality & RMP • Pre- and post-blast DNA and LP

  7. Research Resources • Dedicated research staff for strategic research • Principal investigators • Visiting Scientist Program • Stipended, full-time research appointments • Post-docs, MS, BS, Faculty sabbatical • Renewable up to 5 years • Security clearances (S, TS) • Complemented with casework staff • Dedicated research laboratories and instrumentation • 25,000 sf • Chemical, trace element, genetics, microbiology research facilities • GC/MS, GCxGC/MS, LC/MS, MALDI/TOF, IRMS • ICP/MS, XRF, CL, SEM/EDX, TXRF, µXRF, Clean room • CE and NGS genetics instruments, BSL-2 • Supplemented by external contract research when needed • Self-sampling, augmented with other collections

  8. Decision Analysis “Black Box” Studies • Design considerations • No. of participants • Representative of discipline • How many: • Samples • Decisions • Single-/Double-/Non-blind • Open set/closed set • Questions/Objectives: • Accuracy/Error rates • Reproducibility • Repeatability • Will any DA (BB) study establish “foundational validity?”

  9. Planned Decision Analysis Studies

  10. Firearms Decision Analysis Studies

  11. Latent Fingerprint Decision Analyses Study Publications • Ulery BT, Hicklin RA, Roberts MA, Buscaglia J. Factors associated with latent fingerprint exclusion determinations. Forensic Science International, 275:65-75, June 2017 • Ulery BT, Hicklin RA, Roberts MA, Buscaglia J. Data on the interexaminer variation of minutia markup on latent fingerprints. Data in Brief, 8: 158–190, September 2016 • Ulery BT, Hicklin RA, Roberts MA, Buscaglia J. Interexaminer variation of minutia markup on latent fingerprints. Forensic Science International, 264:89-99, July 2016 • Ulery BT, Hicklin RA, Roberts MA, Buscaglia J. “Changes in latent fingerprint examiners’ markup between Analysis and Comparison.” Forensic Science International 247(2014):54-61; Feb 2015 • Ulery BT, Hicklin RA, Roberts MA, Buscaglia J. “Measuring what latent fingerprint examiners consider sufficient information for individualization determinations.” PLoS ONE 9(11): e110179, Nov 2014 • Kalka, N.D. and R.A. Hicklin, “On relative distortion in fingerprint comparison.” Forensic Science International 244(2014), 78-84, Nov 2014 • B.T. Ulery, R.A. Hicklin, G.I. Kiebuzinski, J. Buscaglia, M.R. Roberts; “Understanding the sufficiency of information for latent fingerprint value determinations”; Forensic Science International 230(1-3):99-106; July 2013  • R.A. Hicklin, J. Buscaglia, M.R. Roberts; “Assessing the Clarity of Friction Ridge Impressions”; Forensic Science International 226(1-3):106-17; March 2013 • B. T. Ulery, R. A. Hicklin, J. Buscaglia, M. R. Roberts; “Repeatability and Reproducibility of Decisions by Latent Fingerprint Examiners”; PLoS ONE 7(3), March 2012 • R. A. Hicklin, et al; “Latent Fingerprint Quality: A Survey of Examiners”; Journal of Forensic Identification 61(4), July 2011 • B. T. Ulery, R. A. Hicklin, J. Buscaglia, M. R. Roberts; “Accuracy and Reliability of Forensic Latent Fingerprint Decisions”; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(19), April 2011

  12. Geographic Attribution OBSERVATION ~30% Kaolinite in clay-sized fraction MAP of PROPERTY TRANSFER FUNCTION PROBABILITY MAP OBSERVATION Acer Rubrumpollen, 10% MAP of PROPERTY PROBABILITY MAP TRANSFER FUNCTION 1 0 Probability Qualitative & Quantitative Observations Mineral ID Chemistry Bulk properties texture color pH Pollen Human-based particles Surface Texture Shells ….. Present Absent Acer Rubrum OBSERVATION MAP of PROPERTY TRANSFER FUNCTION PROBABILITY MAP MOST PROBABLE SOURCE AREAS

  13. What are some of the barriers to successful implementation? Innovation is risk Technical Financial Time Legal/policy Who covers those risks? How do we mitigate? Innovation takes resources beyond research Who provides those resources – the researcher or the customer?

  14. Example Mitochondrial DNA – QPCR Assay Version 1, version 2, version 3 Control region – Evolving requirements Validation When are we done?

  15. FBI Laboratory Gene Peters Chief, Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research (703) 632-7849 empeters@fbi.gov

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