Steven Armentrout pioneered the use of SNP genotyping for forensic investigations. Beginning in 2011, with funding from the US Department of Defense, he led the research team that created Parabon® Snapshot®, the world’s first software application able to predict physical appearance and ancestry of an unknown person from a crime scene DNA sample, making it available to law enforcement in 2015. Dr. Armentrout holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park and has nearly 30 years of experience designing machine learning (A.I.) software to solve complex problems ranging from investment portfolio optimization to nanotechnology design and bioinformatics.

Less than a decade ago, the idea of using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for forensic investigation was a foreign concept. Beginning with studies showing the association between specific genes and visible traits, researchers have since found new ways to exploit the full richness of the human genome. From a case study perspective, participants will gain an understanding of how SNPs (for DNA phenotyping, ancestry determination, kinship inference and genetic genealogy) are now being used to solve cases at an unprecedented rate. In the past year alone law enforcement agencies, both in the US and abroad, who have utilized these technologies, have been able to solve over 70 violent crimes, most of which had been cold for over 25 years.