Most of our biological and life sciences experts conduct research at universities and large companies.

Agriculture & Farming

Alcohol & Drugs
Experts in several disciplines -- especially psychology, but also pharmacology and toxicology (see both below) -- can discuss the effects of alcohol and illegal and prescription drugs on human performance, motor skills, and judgment.

Notably, these experts are utilized in cases involving impairment that leads to automobile or machine accidents. 

Aquatics
Aquatics experts consult on safety and standards issues for waterborne athletics, including scuba diving, snorkeling, and boating.

Bacteriology
See microbiology below.

Biology
The many biological subdisciplines (listed here) have broad application to forensic consulting.

Biochemistry
The chemistry of living organisms.  Biochemists, also called physiological chemists, offer varying expertise depending on their focus.  Four examples: Quality control in the food industry; pathology lab standards; genetic modification of agricultural products; and pharmaceutical production.

Botany
Botanists study plants and trees; they consult on a range of problematic issues, from falling tree branches to fungal infestations in structures. 

Chemistry (Organic)
A major branch of chemistry, it embraces the 6,000,000+ carbon-based compounds currently identified.  In simple language, organic chemistry (as opposed to inorganic chemistry) deals mostly with the chemistry of living things and things that were once alive.

Key areas of organic chemistry are hydrogenation, polymers and polymerization, fermentation, and photochemistry. 

What can an organic chemist analyze?  Contaminated food and water; plastics; soil samples; blood and human tissue; medicine; petrochemicals; oil-based products; and more.

Dairy Science

Entomology / Arachnology / Apiology & Apiculture
The study of insects, arachnids (spiders and scorpions), and bees and beekeeping, respectively.

These experts can work on a diverse array of cases, for instance: cockroach and termite infestation in construction litigation; bee attacks; spider bites; crop destruction by pests; and alleged insect infestation in food.

Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why.

Of special interest are clinical epidemiology, occupational epidemiology, and environmental epidemiology which often deal with smaller scale events like outbreaks of legionellosis (Legionnaire's disease, caused by the Legionella pneumophila bacterium) and sick-building syndrome.

Equestrian Science
The study of horses and their behavior (and their misbehavior which causes accidents and creates the basis for litigation).

Food Technology
Food technologists are typically biochemists (see above) and/or microbiologists (see below) who supervise and study food production, processing, packaging, and storage.

As experts, they contend with problems like: foreign objects in food; the Salmonella enteritidis (salmonella) and Clostridium botulinum (botulism) bacteria; the Trichinella spiralis (trichinosis) parasite; and food poisoning generally.

Forestry

Gerontology
The study of the biological, sociological, and psychological aspects of aging and old age.  Often, gerontological experts are called upon to discuss the behavior of the elderly in accidents or incidents that are the subject of litigation.

Kinesiology
The study of movement; specifically, the cross-disciplinary study of physical activity and physical performance.  Its three main areas of study are exercise physiology, psychomotor behavior, and biomechanics.

Of particular interest in forensic consulting is biomechanics.  Experts in biomechanics are frequently utilized to examine the kinematics (kinematics is the study of objects in motion) of accidents -- the nuts and bolts of how accidents occur and how the human body responds.

Marine Biology

Microbiology
Microbiologists study microorganisms like bacteria and their effects on other organisms, most notably people.

Neuropsychology
Clinical neuropsychologists evaluate brain injury and alleged brain injury.  They are specially trained psychologists, typically credentialed by the American Board of Professional Psychology/American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology.

These experts conduct clinical evaluations using IQ, memory, sensory, and motor function tests (e.g., the Halstead-Reitan Battery) to develop a complete picture of neuropsychological function and condense their findings into a report.

Oceanography

Pharmacology
The study of drugs; a subspecialty, clinical pharmacology, deals with the effect of drugs.  Experts in this field comment on a range of complex issues: drug effects and side effects; dosages; half-lives; and individual sensitivity to drugs.

Physical Therapy
As experts, physical therapists -- who provide medical care using exercise, heat, water, and massage to treat physical disability or to assist patients after injury, illness, or surgery -- can address therapeutic standards and costs for therapy.

Psychological Assessment & Testing
Experts in psychological assessment use psychometric tests to evaluate everything from intellectual ability (the Stanford-Binet test) to personality traits and emotional states (the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory or MMPI).

These evaluations are often conducted in connection with litigation in which the mental, emotional, or psychological well-being of an individual is at issue.

Public Health
The science of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized community effort, public health uses epidemiology (see above) as a tool to assess the health of a population.

Speech & Language Therapy
Speech and language disorders are caused by neurological illnesses, mental retardation, physical impairments such as cleft lip or palate, brain injury, and drug abuse.

Therapists assist with problems ranging from dysfluency (stuttering) to organic brain injury (e.g., strokes) to speech problems caused by accidents and physical injury.

Toxicology
The science of poisons, toxicology concerns the adverse effects of chemicals or physical agents on human health.

Toxicologists can be Ph.D. researchers who are microbiologists, biochemists, and chemists and who study the effects of acute and chronic exposure to toxic substances on human beings.  Medical doctors (often internists) deal with the clinical effects of toxins on the body through medical examination.

Veterinary Medicine
Veterinarians are highly trained animal doctors who consult on a range of topics: dog bites; animal care and feeding; animal behavior (especially aggression); training of animals; and animal borne illnesses such as Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and Rhabdoviridae viruses (rabies). 

Virology
The study of viruses and viral diseases.  Viruses like hepatitis C, human papillomavirus (HPV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are not technically alive like bacteria; they can only multiply by invading host cells and taking over their machinery.

The work of virologists is heavily relied upon by medical doctors such as infectious disease specialists who deal with the clinical presentation of these illnesses.

Viticulture & Enology
Experts in the cultivation of grapes and the study of wine and winemaking can illuminate problems ranging from grape crop pests to organisms that cause wine spoilage.

Vocational Counseling & Rehabilitation
Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs) assist individuals with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the 1998 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Rehabilitation helps the disabled and differently-abled to maximize their independence and potential in vocational, living, and academic pursuits.

Our experts can assess the need for vocational rehabilitation and comment on the work of others in this regard.

Zoology
The forensic application of animal studies typically involves animal interaction with people; specifically, aggressive behavior in bears, snakes, insects (see entomology above), and especially dogs.

Many of the above-referenced disciplines have a close relationship to medicine.  Visit the medical sciences page for more information.

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