Physical Evidence Mission:

Physical Evidence Research at the National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS) is focused on the analysis of non-biological trace evidence (ignitable liquids, explosives, fiber evidence, glass, etc.). We look to the community of experts in the various areas of physical evidence to determine their needs and to help us prioritize our research based on the needs of the community.

The Physical Evidence Research group is also responsible for developing and maintaining three online databases with the Technical Working Group on Fire and Explosion the (TWGEEX-an organization comprised of investigators and laboratory analysts involved in the investigations of fires and explosions); Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection , Substrate database, and Smokeless Powder Database. These research projects utilize state-of-the-art instrumentation, including liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), scanning electron microscopy, capillary electrophoresis (CE), ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and modern computational methods.

While our emphasis is on solutions to applied problems in forensic science, we recognize that future developments are highly dependant on an increased understanding of fundamental aspects of chemistry, resulting in some fundamental investigations of an academic nature.