Meeting Program
With over 1200 abstracts submitted from across the globe, the Organising Committee is proud to announce the comprehensive IAFS 2023 Scientific Program. IAFS 2023 is the only worldwide association bringing together academics and practitioners across all forensic science disciplines including forensic medicine.
This highly anticipated Scientific Program will contribute to developing forensic sciences and assist forensic scientists and others to exchange scientific and technical information.
The Meeting theme is ‘where to from here?’. The theme asks the forensic science community to review contemporary practices and consider strategies to improve operational contributions and effectiveness in the light of both current and future challenges.
Program at a glance
Oral and Poster Award Winners
Anthropology & Archaeology
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Ridhwan Dawud Lye Forensic Anthropological Research in Indonesia: Developing a Sex Estimation Standard for the Contemporary Population |
Rebecca Hancock Characterisation of Skeletal Remains using Field Portable FTIR Spectroscopy |
Chemical Criminalistics
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Caroline Mireault When One Case of Fake Boots and Perfumes Leads to a Scientific investigation of counterfeit goods |
Mickayla Dustin Is Smartphone Glass Really a Problem? |
Crime Scene Investigation
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Theresa Stotesbury DNA Crosslinked Alginate Hydrogels: New Materials for Forensic Blood Substitutes |
Emma Bonaccordo Digital Panoramic Imaging to Improve Documentation and Off-Site Analysis of Bloodstain Patterns |
Education & Training
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Rachel Nickerson Transformational vs Transactional: Utilising Technology to Improve Access to Training and Information |
Vincent Mousseau Motivation for Becoming a Crime Scene Examiner: A Longitudinal Study of Quebec Police Recruits |
Fingerprint Evidence & Biometrics
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Chloe George Examination of Phalangeal Friction Ridge Flow Trends |
Jemmy Bouzin Modification of Wet UCIO Powder Suspension for Fingermark Development on Adhesive Tapes for Use in Seychelles |
Fires & Explosions
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Aaron Horrocks Characterisation and Source Determination of Chlorate-Based Homemade Explosive Materials |
Min-Hui Son Detection of Explosives in Post-blast Debris of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs): A Preliminary Study |
Forensic Taphonomy & Entomology
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Noemi Procopio Exploring Post-Mortem Interval Estimation Through Analysis of the Gravesoil Thanatomicrobiome of an Experimental Mass Grave |
Madison Bone Exploring Algal Succession in Isolated Freshwater and Saltwater Environments as a PMSI Indicator |
Illicit Drugs & Clandestine Laboratorie
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Shimpei Watanabe Structural Determination of Synthetic Cannabinoids by Single Crystal X-ray Analysis using the Crystalline Sponge Method |
Morgan Alonzo Scott Test 2.0: An Improved Presumptive Colour Test for Cocaine |
Military Forensic Science & Counterterrorism
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Rebecca Pitman Modified Powder Suspensions for Fingermark Detection on Adhesive Tapes in Austere or Contested Environments |
Tim Ditcham Quantitative Morphological Analysis of Uranium Ore Concentrates – An Emerging Signature for Nuclear Forensics |
Science, Justice & Legal Issues
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Rosanne de Roo Forensic Advisors in the Netherlands and Their Role in the Criminal Justice System |
Ellen Konza ‘Collective Knowledge’: An Alternative Framework for Reforming Knowledge Production in Forensic Science |
Wildlife Forensics & Environmental Crime
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Fabienne Pfeiffer Hydrophobic Contaminants in the Lake Geneva Basin: Large-scale Surveillance and Investigation of Pollution Sources |
Carla Alonso O’Friel Genetic Investigation of Turtle Scutes from a Seizure at the United Kingdom Border – A Contribution to Shellbank |
Biological Criminalistics
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Kevin Cheng Results from the Developmental Validation of STRmix™ NGS, a Probabilistic Genotyping Tool for the Interpretation of Autosomal STRs from Forensic Profiles Generated using NGS |
Kaitlyn Hart Identification of Skeletal Remains Using Toenails |
Clinical Forensic Medicine & Forensic Nursing
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Signe Winther-Jørgensen Clinical Forensic Medicine in Greenland – Perspectives on Areas with a Challenging Geography |
Ellinor Algin Visualization of Inflicted Bruises Using a DSLR Camera and Alternate Light Sources up to 98 Days after Bruising |
Document Examination
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Michelle Ho TextOracle: An AI Programme to aid in Forensic Handwriting Examination |
Michael Adamos Evaluation of Spectroscopic Techniques as an Additional Dimension to Forensic Ink Examination |
Digital Forensic Science & Electronic Evidence
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Sriyal Mendis Windows 11 and the Dawn of the TPM – A Forensically Sound Way to Beat It |
Erica Hedberg Forensic Image Comparison of Firearms – A Method Implemented at NFC, Sweden |
Firearms & Toolmarks
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Matthew Bolton On the Effect of Decomposition Processes on Fired Bullet Striae and Post-mortem Interval Estimates |
Joel Waszczuk Misidentifications of Alphanumeric Characters in Serial Number Restorations |
Forensic Pathology
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Pia Genet Evaluation of the Added Value of Postmortem Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Cases of Pediatric Deaths Compared to Postmortem Computed Tomography and Autopsy |
Henrik Druid Effect of Experimental Decomposition on Histological Immunopositivity of Common Antibodies |
Humanitarian Forensic Science
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Rafael Resty Lerma The Philippine War on Drugs: A Photographic Journey |
Yehui Lv A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends for Missing Persons Globally and in East Asia |
Management & Quality Assurance
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Tamara Comrie What Backlog? A Developing Country’s Perspective on Caseload Reduction. |
Julie Murakami Reduced Turn-around Times: A Model for Optimised Workflows in Property Crime |
Odontology
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Ryan Choi A Freeware System for Forensic 3D Dental Comparisons |
Harry Perkins 3D Image Availability and Awareness of their Forensic Significance in South Australian Dental Practices |
Toxicology & Pharmacology
Best Oral |
Best Poster |
Yannick Wartmann Unravelling Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Phenotypes Using an Untargeted LC-qTOF-MS-Based Metabolomics Approach |
Archie Lambrinos Development of a Presumptive Test for the Detection of Illicit Fentanyl and its Analogues |
Full Program
Scientific Program as of November 2023 and subject to change
PDF Program
Scientific Program as of 17 November 2023 and subject to change
Mini Oral Program
Program as of 21 November 2023, and subject to change.
All mini-oral presentations will take place during the lunch breaks in the Exhibition.
Digital Posters
View all the digital posters here and have the ability to rank or ask questions to authors.
Oral Briefing Notes
Abstract submission portal
Digital Poster Guidelines
Digital poster template
Publication
Your IAFS 2023 committee has been working with two leading forensic science journals to provide the opportunity for publication of your paper.
Both submissions will open on 1 November and close on 31 January.
Please refer directly to the links below for further details and submission information.
Extended abstracts in the Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences
Full peer-reviewed papers in Forensic Science International
Official list of Disciplines
Anthropology & Archaeology |
Issues relevant to the recovery and examination of human remains (e.g., from clandestine burials), physical anthropology (including human osteology), and the application of archaeological methods to the collection and interpretation of traces. |
Biological Criminalistics |
All aspects of forensic biology, including the collection and analysis of biological materials (from presumptive tests through to DNA profiling), and the interpretation of associated results. |
Chemical Criminalistics |
Physical and chemical analysis of materials, including glass, paint, textile fibres, and miscellaneous substances not covered elsewhere, and the interpretation of the associated results. |
Clinical Forensic Medicine & Forensic Nursing |
All aspects of clinical forensic medicine (clinical practices to support potential legal proceedings) and forensic nursing (nursing processes associated with the treatment of patients in cases of abuse, violence, criminal activity, liability, and accidents). |
Crime Scene Investigation |
Issues related to crime scene examinations and the disciplines generally covered by field-based practitioners (e.g., scene of crime detection, scene recording, footwear impressions, bloodstain pattern analysis, etc.) |
Digital Forensic Science & Electronic Evidence |
Forensic exploitation of the various forms of digital/electronic information that may form part of an investigation (e.g., data from mobile phones, laptops, PCs, PDAs, GPS systems, etc.), including its collection, analysis and interpretation. |
Document Examination |
The examination of questioned documents, including the physical and chemical analysis of paper, inks, toners, etc., and the interpretation of associated results. |
Education & Training |
Issues related to education and training across the various fields of forensic science, including tertiary education, online programs, short courses and continuing professional education. |
Fingerprint Evidence & Biometrics |
Physical and chemical techniques used for fingermark detection and enhancement, together with issues related to fingerprint identification, including the interpretation of fingerprint evidence. Also includes biometric technologies for authentication and identification purposes (e.g., access control) that measure and analyse human body characteristics, such as fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial configurations and hand measurements. |
Firearms & Toolmarks |
Issues related to scene examination, and specimen collection, analysis and interpretation for incidents involving firearms and toolmarks. This includes the chemical analysis of firearm discharge residues. |
Fires & Explosions |
Issues related to scene examination, specimen collection, analysis and interpretation for incidents involving fire or explosion. This includes the chemical analysis of fire debris and explosive residues. |
Forensic Pathology |
Pathology that focuses on medicolegal investigations of sudden or unexpected death with a view to determining cause, manner and mode of death. |
Forensic Taphonomy & Entomology |
The interrelated studies of the post-mortem changes of human remains – focusing largely on environmental effects – and the identification and biological attributes of insects with application to forensic investigations (e.g., through estimation of the post-mortem interval). |
Humanitarian Forensic Science |
The application of the knowledge and skills of forensic medicine and science to humanitarian action, especially following conflicts or disasters. This includes the forensic response to mass graves and mass-casualty incidents where Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) protocols are required, and complex investigations and prosecutions of international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. |
Illicit Drugs & Clandestine Laboratories |
Issues related to scene examination, specimen collection and analysis for incidents involving illicit drugs, including clandestine laboratories involved in the manufacture of illicit materials. Specimen analysis includes the application of chemical profiling techniques, related databases, and data interpretation issues. |
Management & Quality Assurance |
Aspects related to the management of forensic services, including quality assurance requirements (e.g., ISO 17025 accreditation). |
Military Forensic Science & Counterterrorism |
The military application of forensic techniques (including battlefield forensics) and issues specifically related to counterterrorism. This includes specimen collection and analysis where CBRN agents may be involved. |
Odontology |
Application of dental science to legal investigations, primarily involving the identification of human remains based on dental records, or the identification of an offender by comparing dental records to a bite mark left on a victim or at the scene. |
Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences |
Psychiatric consultation and the assessment of mental health applied to legal matters, including clinical work with both offenders and victims. Behavioural science covers the various disciplines that deal with human actions, with such fields including sociology, social and cultural anthropology, and psychology. |
Science, Justice & Legal Issues |
Issues related to the interface between the various forensic science disciplines, the forensic science system and the justice system in its broadest definition, including how forensic evidence is perceived and interpreted by the legal community, how forensic evidence is presented in court, and how we can make forensic science more effective and reliable. This includes cases of alleged or actual wrongful conviction. |
Toxicology & Pharmacology |
Aspects related to the use of toxicology and other disciplines – such as analytical chemistry, pharmacology and clinical chemistry – as part of the medicolegal investigation into incidents of death, poisoning, and drug use. This includes the topic of anti-doping in sports. |
Wildlife Forensics & Environmental Crime |
Issues related to the physical and biochemical analysis of animal- and plant-based material that may be encountered in wildlife crime investigations (e.g., illegal trafficking of native animals and plants), as well as specimen collection and analysis for broader environmental crime investigations, such as pollution incidents. |