In this episode four of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) Just Science podcast series, Nicole Jones is interviewed about her work with the team at the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE).
She is first asked about her educational and work background, which includes an undergraduate degree in forensic chemistry and a subsequent masters degree in this field while employed at RTI. Her work history included a job related to environmental engineering before assuming her responsibilities on the team at FTCoE, which is funded by NIJ through RTI. Her specific responsibilities with the FTCoE Team involve addressing challenges in the forensic science community of managers, practitioners, and researchers. She has convened work groups that have addressed various research and development (R&D) issues in forensic science. There has been a focus on R&D in local and state forensic laboratories. Various subject matters addressed in her R&D work include medicolegal investigations, impression evidence, and toxicology. She was involved in convening a meeting of international radiologists, who discussed radiological autopsies, which are conducted in a number of countries. She also describes various FTCoE symposia and training events which she has helped organize in an effort to address various challenges facing the forensic science community.