Beto Lecture
Jose Almirall, a professor at Florida International University, will examine how to standardize forensic practice in the lab for the field.Beto Chair Lecture: José R. Almirall, Ph.D.
March 10, 2017
9:30 to 11 a.m.
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom
José R. Almirall, a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Director of the International Forensic Research Institute (IFRI) at Florida International University (FIU), will present “Physical evidence examinations and comparisons from basic research to standardized forensic practice” as part of the Beto Chair Lecture Series.
Before joining FIU, Almirall worked in the Miami-Dade Police Department Crime Laboratory for 12 years, testifying in more than 100 criminal cases in state and federal courts. As head of the IFRTI, Almirall leads efforts by more than a dozen faculty and over 100 undergraduate and graduate students to develop fundamental analytical chemistry and molecular biology tools for use in forensic science for material analysis, trace evidence, drugs, explosives and biological evidence. His research group has developed technology that was awarded three patents, and he has published one book as well as more than 120 scholarly articles on his work.
The IFRI collaborates with local and national law enforcement agencies on scientific projects to improve the administration of justice. Among the areas for research and training are fire debris and explosives residue analysis, security document examination, improvements in the use of detector dogs, DNA evidence analysis including mixtures and degraded DNA analysis, drug analysis, environmental forensics, forensic toxicology, materials analysis, eyewitness identification, jury selection, and computer forensics. The institute has worked closely with the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office, the Broward Sheriff's Office, the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Officer and the Drug Enforcement Administration laboratories located in South Florida.
Almirall is one of four academics to serve on the Forensic Science Standards Board, a national organization for setting standards in the forensic disciplines managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and serves as chair of the Chemistry Scientific Area Committee of the OSAC. He serves as editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal, Forensic Chemistry, and is a consultant to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and to the International Atomic Energy Agency on forensic science matters. He also is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Science and was the founding chairman of the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission.