Arati Iyengar

Arati Iyengar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Forensic & Investigative Science, West Virginia University (WVU), where she joined in 2021. Her expertise spans forensic genetics, population genetics, and DNA analysis techniques. She holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Southampton (UK) and has conducted postdoctoral research in the UK and Germany, focusing on cancer genetics, conservation genetics, and DNA methodologies.

Education:

• PhD in Biotechnology, University of Southampton, UK
• Postdoctoral Research: UK and Germany (2005–2017)

Research Interests:

• Forensic genetics, including degraded and low-template DNA analysis
• Non-human trace DNA and body fluid identification
• Population genetic data for diverse populations
• Integration of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and traditional Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) methods

Labs/Teams: Leading projects at WVU’s forensic biology laboratories equipped with a Verogen MiSeq FGx NGS system to optimize DNA methodologies and advance forensic science.

Teaching: Taught forensic genetics and conservation genetics in the UK (until 2017) and forensic biology at the University at Albany, SUNY, before joining WVU.