swofford_henry
Dr. Henry Swofford
Physical Scientist for Forensic Science

Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dr. Henry Swofford is a Physical Scientist in the Forensic Science Research Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.  Swofford is certified by the International Association for Identification (IAI) as a latent print examiner with over 15 years of experience working in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited forensic science laboratory.

 

Swofford holds a Ph.D. in Forensic Science from the University Lausanne where he focused on the development and implementation of computational algorithms in forensic
fingermark examination, a Master of Science in Forensic Science from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Georgia State University.

Prior to serving as an independent forensic consultant, he was the Chief of the Latent Print Branch for the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) responsible for overseeing forensic latent print operations in support of the criminal
investigative mission of the U.S. Department of Defense.  Under his leadership, the USACIL became the first laboratory in the United States to implement statistical methods and strengthen the scientific rigor of latent print examinations.  Prior to this, he served as a Quality Assurance Manager, Research Advisor, and Physical Scientist/Latent Print Examiner for the USACIL as well as a Laboratory Technician for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation since 2003.

 

Over his career, Swofford has authored 25 peer review articles and given over 150 professional presentations throughout the United States and International community related to forensic science methods and practices, including applications of statistical methods to latent print examination. He has testified in federal, state, and military courts as an expert and currently serves as the Chair of the Organization for Scientific Area Committees (OSAC)
Friction Ridge Subcommittee; a member of the Board of Directors for the IAI; senior editor for Forensic Science International: Synergy, member of the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Forensic Identification and Journal of Forensic Sciences, and guest editor for Forensic Science International; member of the Academy Standards Board (ASB) Friction Ridge Consensus Body; member of the
Science Advisory Board for the District of Columbia Consolidated Forensic Science Laboratory; and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), among other committees and professional affiliations.