U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

Research and development

2022 NIJ Forensic Science Graduate Research Symposium

September 2022

The National Institute of Justice has long hosted an annual Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium in which NIJ grantees present their research findings to promote the transition of research into practice. This inaugural NIJ Forensic Science Graduate Research Symposium aimed to provide a similar platform for graduate students and early career scientists. The symposium presented an excellent opportunity for new researchers, including current and former NIJ Graduate Research Fellows, to present their work to a broad audience.

Forensic Anthropology, Pathology, Entomology, & Microbial Forensics; NIJ 2022 Forensic R&D Symposium

March 2022

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of four videos from the 2022 symposium, which was held March 1-2, 2022.
Presentations include -

Impression, Pattern & Trace Evidence Research and Development: 2022 NIJ Forensic R&D Symposium

March 2022

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of four videos from the 2022 symposium, which was held March 1-2, 2022.

Presentations include -

2022 NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. The 2024 symposium was was held March 1-2, 2022.

NIJ and its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence are committed to improving the practice of forensic science and strengthening its impact by supporting research and development, rigorous technology evaluation and...

2024 NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. 

NIJ and its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence are committed to improving the practice of forensic science and strengthening its impact by supporting research and development, rigorous technology evaluation and adoption, effective knowledge transfer and education, and comprehensive dissemination...

Impression, Pattern & Trace Evidence Research & Development: Presentations at the 2024 R&D Symposium

September 2024

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of five videos from the 2024 symposium, which was held September 19, 2024.

The Forensic Examination and Comparison of Plastic Garbage Bags

August 2024

Plastic bags are present in many criminal cases. Analyzing these bags in a forensic case can sometimes identify the manufacturer. More importantly, forensic comparison of bags from a known box or other known source can determine whether the bag could have originated from that source. This webinar discusses the manufacturing process, class and randomly acquired characteristics, examination techniques, and comparisons between questioned and known bags. The final segment includes a discussion of recent research in this area, followed by a question-and-answer period.