Dr. Jack Ballantyne
Professor, Chemistry
Associate Director (Research), Assistant Director (Biological Evidence)
National Center for Forensic Science
e-mail: jack.ballantyne@ucf.edu
Biography:
Jack Ballantyne is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the Associate Director for Research at the National Center for Forensic Science in Orlando, Florida. He possesses a B.Sc. (with Honors) in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, a M.Sc. in Forensic Science from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland and a PhD in Genetics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY. His current duties include teaching and conducting research in forensic molecular genetics. He teaches a variety of forensic biology courses to baccalaureate and Masters level students in the Forensic Science Program and nucleic acid biochemistry to PhD students in the Biomedical Sciences Program.
Prior to entering academia, he was a casework forensic scientist in Scotland, Hong Kong, and New York where he proffered expert testimony in the criminal courts of these jurisdictions. He was the full time DNA technical leader in Suffolk County, New York and since then has served as a part-time consultant DNA technical leader for the States of Mississippi and Delaware, the City of Dallas and Sedgwick County, Kansas. Inter alia, he is the Chair of the New York State DNA Sub-committee, a regular visiting guest at the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), a member of the DoD Quality Assurance Oversight Committee and was a member of the World Trade Center Kinship and Data Analysis Panel (KADAP).
Dr. Erin Hanson
Research Assistant Professor
Forensic Science, Biological Evidence
National Center for Forensic Science
e-mail: erin.hanson@ucf.edu
Biography:
Erin Hanson is a Research Assistant Professor in the Biological Evidence Section of the National Center for Forensic Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She possesses a B.S. in Forensic Science, Biochemistry Track, a M.S. in Industrial Chemistry – Forensic Science Track, and a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of Central Florida. Her duties include conducting research in forensic molecular genetics, laboratory management and supervising undergraduate and graduate level student research in forensic molecular genetics. She is currently the senior scientist on a variety of research projects such as: 1) body fluid identification by RNA expression profiling, 2) improved recovery of male DNA profiles in extended interval post coital samples, and 3) characterization and analysis of trace biological evidence (“touch DNA”). She has been a guest lecturer for senior undergraduate biochemistry courses and was a laboratory instructor for senior level biochemistry courses for six years.
She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) and the American Chemical Society (ACS). She is a co-organizer, with the Institute of Legal Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland, of the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP) sponsored collaborative exercises on the use of RNA expression profiling for body fluid identification. She has 50 publications in scientific journals and book series and over 80 presentations at scientific conferences. She is also a participant in the UCF WISE and EXCEL/COMPASS programs.
NCFS Biological Evidence Research Group
Our 17-member research group includes:
- Faculty (2):
Dr. Jack Ballantyne (Professor), Dr. Erin Hanson (Research Assistant Professor)
- Visiting Scientist (1)
Dr. Clarice Sampaio Alho,Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul – PUCRS
- M.S. students (8)
Forensic Science, Biochemistry Track M.S. Students (UCF)
- Undergraduate Research Assistants (4)
UCF Biomedical Science, Forensic Science and Biotechnology programs
- Research Technician (1)
- Database manager: Lyn Fatolitis