Research Associates
Dr. George Duncan
Dr. Duncan is currently an affiliated faculty at Nova Southeastern University. His present research interests involve the development of applications in forensic genomics, epigenetics, microfluidics and nanoscale sensing. Major research areas include development of improved techniques for genetic analysis using capillary and microfluidic electrophoresis, DNA sequencing and qPCR. He also has research efforts in the microbiome and microfluidics.
Dr. Steven Lee
Professor Lee is a professor at FIU's International Forensic Research Institute. He also is a professor at the Departement of Justice Studies at San Jose State Univesity. He has a B.S. from SUNY Binghamton in Biology, an M.S. from NYU and Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley in Molecular Biology. Dr. Lee is also currently a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley and serves frequently as a consultant or trainer in forensic DNA. He was formerly the Director of R&D at CA Dept of Justice DNA Laboratory from 1994-2000 where he served as an expert witness in DNA, spearheaded the implementation of robotics for sample processing, DNA extraction and STR amplification, and conducted DNA training courses. He is a Fellow in the Criminalistics section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, full member of the California Association of Criminalists, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Science Teachers Association and is qualified as an American Society of Crime Laboratory Director’s Laboratory Accreditation Board inspector. He has taught courses in molecular biology at SFSU (1996-1998), Forensic genetics at UC Davis (1997), forensic DNA Typing of STRs at FIU (2003), Criminalistics, Forensic Science, DNA and Crime, Genetics Law and Society and Forensic Molecular Biology at SJSU.
Pol.Maj.Dr.Supatana Buking
Dr. Buking is currently a member of the Institute of Police Forensic Science Training and Research at Royal Thai Police, Thailand. Her present research interests involve the development of paper-based analytical device for gunshot residue analysis. She is also interested in explosive trace analysis. Supatana has over 10 years of experience in the field of Forensic Chemistry as firearm and ammunition inspector.
Doctoral Students
Meghan Roig
Meghan is a Ph.D. student in Forensic Chemistry at Florida International University. She obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2014 from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and her M.S. in Forensic Science in 2017 from Florida International University. Previous research was in plasmid cloning for imaging small nucleolar RNA in yeast with Drs. J. Zinskie and M. Bruist. Her current research interest is in the development of extraction and amplification techniques for forensic biological samples with Dr. B. McCord. She has presented this work at multiple American Academy of Forensic Science meeting and will be presenting at the upcoming AAFS meeting and PittCon 2019.
Fabiana Taglia
She is from Rome, Italy. She has both an MS in Genetics & Molecular Biology and an MS in Forensic Science. She joined the lab in Fall 2016 as a PhD student in Forensic Chemistry. Her research focus is on studying YSNPs and YSTRs using Next Generation Sequencing techniques such as MinION
Karin Crenshaw
Karin is the DNA Unit Manager for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and a part-time PhD student in her fourth year of studies in Dr. McCord’s lab. Karin is currently focused on research studies in trace DNA recovery. Karin has over 17 years of experience in the field of Forensic DNA.
Thomas J. Dickson, Jr.
TJ joined Florida International University as a doctoral student in Spring 2018. Hailing from Cohoes, NY, Mr. Dickson completed his Associate of Science in Forensic Science Studies at Hudson Valley Community College and his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at University at Albany. Currently, TJ is the interim McCord Trace Lab manager and head TA for Survey of Forensics Lab, and his research investigates the use of microfluidic devices for accurate roadside detection of illicit drugs in oral fluid.
Mirna S. Ghemrawi
Mirna is from Tripoli, Lebanon. She did her BS in Medical Laboratory Sciences at Haigazian University, Beirut where she was on a merit scholarship. She worked at the American University of Beirut Medical Center as a research assistant. Then she was granted the Fulbright scholarship to do her masters in Forensic and Investigative Sciences at IUPUI, IN, USA. Her project involved a genetic investigation of the Lebanese population: from SNPs to STRs. She presented her work at the Dubai International Forensic conference and exhibition. In the Fall of 2018, she started her PhD in Biochemistry-Forenisc track and joined the McCord lab , where she redesigned some mini STR primers. She is currently working on designing a protocol for species identification. Her research interests involve microbiome and metagenomics for forensic application. When she is not in the lab, she would be playing table tennis.
Nicole Fernandez Tejero
Nicole is from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, where she obtained her B.S. in Chemistry in 2018 at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. She has an M.S. in Chemistry from Florida International University, and currently, she is a Ph.D. Candidate in Forensic Chemistry working in Dr. McCord’s D.N.A. laboratory. She is a McKnight Doctoral Fellow and a Transdisciplinary Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences (TBBS) past Fellow (NIH T-32). She has been awarded the 2021 IFRI Student development award and Forensic Sciences Foundation Student Scholarship Award. Her research interest involves the study of D.N.A. Methylation on different body fluids and also Rapid D.N.A. She is secretary for the Chemistry Graduate Student Organization at F.I.U. And also the Counsel Student Organization representative for the Chemistry Graduate Student Organization at F.I.U., McKnight Student Organization, and Forensic Graduate Student Organization. Nicole did her undergraduate research at the U.P.R. on Marine Natural Products. She was part of the MARC Program for undergraduate students research-training program sponsored by the “National Institute of General Medical Sciences” (NIGMS). She did an NSF-REU internship in 2017 with Dr. Bruce McCord D.N.A. lab.
Mario O. Vendrell Dones
He is from Bayamón, Puerto Rico and completed his BS in chemistry in 2017 at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. His first research experience focused on the synthesis and characterization of self-assembled structures used for anti-cancer drug delivery applications, among other biomedical applications. He also worked on the synthesis of less toxic Manganese based Magnetic Resonance Imaging (M.R.I.) contrast agents to diagnose soft tissue and vascular diseases. He volunteered at the Center of Nanotechnology to teach elementary school students in an interactive way about nanotechnology and served for two years as an organic chemistry laboratory mentor. Mario did community service trips to Ecuador and to Spain. He then joined the lab in fall 2018 on a fellowship from NSF Bridge to the Doctorate program. Currently, his research is focused in the development of quick and effective methods to identify synthetic cathinones in seized materials and biological fluids. During his spare time he enjoys watching sports, running and having a nice day at the beach.
Sevde Dogruer
Sevde is from Istanbul, Turkey. She graduated from Bogazici University with a BS in Chemistry Education. She finished her degree with honors and was top of her class. She wanted to be a teacher since she was a kid but also she was so interested in forensic science. So, she combined them in the academy. Right after she graduated, she visited Dr.McCord's lab as a volunteer and did an internship for 1.5 months. She helped work on a Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy detection of the fentanyl related mixtures. Due to her contributions, she was listed as one of the co-authors on the paper which is in press. After completing her internship she joined Dr.McCord’s lab as a PhD student where she is working on developing methods for the determination of fentanyl analogs in drug mixtures by portable Raman. Also, she will start working on developing a clearer understanding of the role surface interactions between sample, stabilizing agent, and metallic nanoparticles play in accentuating surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic measurements. When she finds a chance, she loves swimming and that makes Miami the perfect place for her.
Masters & Visiting Students
Rachel Tolces
Rachel is from Boca Raton, Florida. She graduated from University of Florida in Spring 2020 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a minor in Mass Communications. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Forensic Science at FIU and joined the lab in the spring of 2021 to perform research in epigenetic body fluid identification. She was recently granted the International Forensic Research Institute’s Student Development Grant Award to continue pursuing this research.
Daniel Rubin
Daniel is from Miami, Florida. He graduated from FIU in 2017 with a double major in Chemistry and Biology. Currently he is doing an internship with the Miami-Dade County forensic lab where he is working on modifying GC/MS parameters for the better identification of synthetic cathinones in mixtures. He joined the lab in the Spring of 2021 to work on his masters projects. His research project involves creating electrospun nanofibers with nanoparticles for the detection of fentanyl by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.
Undergraduate Students
Andrea Ramírez Torres
Andrea is from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She transferred to Florida International University in 2018 and is currently pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry, a second major in Natural and Applied Sciences, and an undergraduate certificate in Women & Gender Studies. She is a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Fellow, and a member of the Advanced Research & Creativity in Honors 2020-2021 cohort. Her undergraduate research & honors thesis focuses on studying the genital microbiome for forensic applications, and has presented her work at local and national conferences like the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference and the National Conference of Undergraduate Research. She has also been awarded the Honors College ARCH Scholarship to fund her undergraduate research. Her research interests involve human identification for forensic applications. When she is not in the lab, she advocates and works as a student ambassador for the Office of Social Justice and Inclusion at FIU, and loves to listen to true crime podcasts.
Lia Vaquero
Lia is from Miami, Florida. She is currently pursuing a B.A in Chemistry with a Chemistry (grades 6-12) Professional Teaching Certificate and second degree in biological Science with a QBIC track. She belongs to the honors college and has been working as a Learning Assistant for 3 semesters in the subjects of Chemistry, Genetics and Biology. Her research interests involve human body fluid identification studying DNA methylation. When she is not in the lab, she is helping her community by participating in STEM Saturdays in collaboration with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at FIU.
Valeria Castaneda
Valeria is from Bogotá, Colombia. She moved to Miami, Florida in 2018 to pursue a B.A in Chemistry with a minor in Biology at Florida International University. She belongs to the Honors College and also works as a Learning Assistant for two Genetic classes. At the moment, she is a research assistant at the University of Maryland, College Park for the Baby Books 2 project, which focuses on children’s growth and development. Additionally, she is also an active member of the Larkin Community Hospital research group where she has co-authored two manuscripts published in the World Journal of Virology. More specifically, Thymosin alpha 1: A comprehensive review of the literature and Bottom-up analysis of emergent properties of N-acetylcysteine as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19. She is a current applicant to Medical School, hoping to start in August 2022. Her research interest includes methylation on different body fluids, especially menstrual blood.
Amani Wanna
Amani is a Lebanese/Palestenian student from Miami, Fl. She is currently pursing a B.S. in Biochemistry at Florida International University. Amani belongs to the Honors College and is participating in the ARCH program. Her research focus involves the identification of body fluids by DNA methylation as well as species identification. She is the Director of Engagement for Friends of Medécins Sans Frontières (MSF), an organization for students who raise awareness for global and accessible healthcare. When she is not in the lab you can find her spending time with friends and watching sports.
Lab Alumni
University of Virginia
John Butler, Ph.D. 1995
Alice Isenberg, Ph.D. 1997
Ohio University
Rob Heramb, MS. 2001
John Mathis, Ph.D. 2004
Ahmed Al Najjar, Ph.D. 2004
Denise Chung, Ph.D. 2004
Brittany Hartzell, Ph.D. 2004
Sandra Bishop, Ph.D. 2004
Kristy Hopper, Ph.D. 2004
Florida International University
Jessica Heiser, MS 2007
Ada Nunez, MS 2008
Sacha Dehere, MS 2008
Rayna Hebard, MS 2008
Kerry Opel, Ph.D. 2008
Carla Turner, MS 2009
Sarah Hughes, MS 2010
Megan Bottegal, Ph.D. 2010
Heather Eric, MS 2010
Robyn Thompson, MS 2010
Tania Madi, MS 2011
Maurice Aboud, PhD 2012
Jorge Quintana, MS 2012
Arianna Pionzio, MS 2013
Paula Bolivar, MS 2013
Jennifer Thomas, PhD 2013
Britt Turnquest, PhD 2013
Bingxue Zhang, MS 2014
Deepthi Nori, PhD 2014
Hanzhou Fu, PhD 2014
Kelley Peters, PhD 2014
Erica Doctor, PhD 2014
Lilliana Moreno, PhD 2015
Deborah Silva, PhD 2015
Inge Corbin, PhD 2016
Vanessa Martinez, MS 2016
Ling Wang, PhD 2017
Joana Antunes, PhD 2018
Georgiana Gibson-Daw, PhD 2018
Kathryn Chabaud, PhD 2019
Mallory Baud, MS 2019
Hussain Alghanim, PhD 2019
Thaddeus Mostowtt, PhD 2020
Quentin Gauthier, PhD 2020
Chiara Deriu, PhD 2020
Post Doctoral Associates and Visiting Scholars
Sharon Hinton, MS
Federica Crivellente, PhD
Yin Shen, PhD
Jiri Drabek, PhD
M. Younas Khokhar, PhD
Ahmed Al Najjar, PhD
Maximilien Blas, PhD
Maribel Funes, PhD
Silvia Zoppis, MD
Jing Wang, MS
Chloe DePerre, PhD
Robyn Thompson, MS
Hye Hyun Oh, MS
Pero Dimsoski, PhD
Patricia Albani, MS
Gustavo Merola, MS
Giacomo Musile, MS
Marcelo Firmino de Oliveira, PhD
Steve Lee, PhD
Illaria Pirazzini, MS
Marco Antonio Balbino, PhD
Izabel Eleotério, PhD
Irene Conticello
Sohee Cho, PhD
Dide Boelens, MS
Majlinda Prifti, MS
Roberta Mariot, PhD
Ling Wang, PhD
Lucas Ribeiro, MS
Gustavo Merillo Alves