DNA Mixtures Webinar: Likelihood ratios and challenges to STRMix evidence

Live webinar presented by Dr. Maher “Max” Noureddine and Attorney Elizabeth Vasquez
June 2, 2022, 12:30 pm
90 min of CLE credit anticipated

Description:
This presentation will provide in-depth information about likelihood ratios and probabilistic genotyping (PG) software used to interpret complex DNA mixtures. After a brief overview of the concepts of likelihood ratio and probabilistic genotyping, the program will focus on PG output/results and, in general terms, what the software is doing to process a sample.

The objective of the program is to provide greater understanding of how software is used to interpret complex mixtures of DNA and help attorneys understand the limitations of the software. The program will prepare attorneys to issue spot in cases where probabilistic genotyping software was used and prepare for litigation related to the use of this software.

Registration:
This program is part of the 2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series. The webinars will be presented monthly and are free to attend. Attorneys who want CLE credit for attending will be billed $3.50 per credit hour by the State Bar. Use this link to register for all webinars in the series and attend any that are of interest.

Presenters:
Dr. Maher “Max” Noureddine
Dr. Maher “Max” Noureddine is molecular geneticist with extensive background in scientific research in human genetics and expertise in DNA forensics. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center (The Center for Human Genetics), where he published many articles on the genetics of Parkinson Disease and other human genetic disorders. His expertise includes specialized training in complex genomics, DNA fingerprinting, mitochondrial genome analysis, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism studies, and state of the art methodologies in gene structure and function studies.

Currently, as a recognized forensic DNA expert and President of the forensics consulting company ForensiGen, LLC, Dr. Noureddine provides services and expert consultation to law professionals on DNA and serology evidence in criminal and civil cases, as well as consulting services to the public in the area of genetic testing.

Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez
Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez is the Director of the Science & Surveillance Project at Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn. In that role, Elizabeth is responsible for developing BDS’s litigation and advocacy strategy surrounding issues of data, science, and technology. She consults on cases involving complex forensic science and surveillance issues, trains the office in litigating and confronting forensic evidence and emerging surveillance techniques, spearheads affirmative impact litigation emanating from forensic and surveillance abuses, and coordinates policy and law reform efforts surrounding emerging forensic science and surveillance concerns. Elizabeth has served as a faculty member for the National Forensic Science College, an adjunct professor at Cardozo Law School, and a trainer and panelist at numerous local and national convenings on forensic science and surveillance issues.

Before joining BDS, Elizabeth worked as a staff attorney in the trial division of the Public Defender Service (“PDS”) for the District of Columbia. At PDS, Elizabeth represented adults and juveniles in D.C. Superior and Family Court who were charged with serious felonies. She also served as a member of PDS’s Forensic Practice Group. Before PDS, Elizabeth was an associate at Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, LLP, litigating wrongful conviction and civil rights cases in state and federal courts throughout the country. At NSB, Elizabeth’s work focused predominantly on complex § 1983 claims that involved faulty forensic evidence. Elizabeth is a cum laude graduate of New York University School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Law and Social Change and participated in Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice and Defender Clinic. She received her B.A. with Honors from the University of Chicago.