Contact Information
Contact InformationEmail: ashmfaris@gmail.com
Office: Heep 308
Education & Employment
2013 – Present
Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Entomology, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
Advisor: Dr. Aaron Tarone
2010 – 2012
M.S. Forensic Science, Dept. of Forensic Science, Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX)
Advisors: Dr. David A. Gangitano & Dr. Sibyl Bucheli
2004 – 2009
B.S. Entomology (Minors: Chemistry and History), Dept. of Entomology, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
Research Interests
Legal and professional pressures have been placed on forensic disciplines to develop a more scientific approach to forensic sciences. One area within forensic entomology in need of restructuring is the approach to understanding error associated with making postmortem interval (PMI) estimates. My current research focus is to refine error associated with PMI estimates through different avenues. One is to identify potential sources of error through an ecological modeling approach. Another is through the validation of a laboratory-based blow fly development data to determine its accuracy in an outdoor environment. And lastly I plan to evaluate gene expression during blow fly development to determine an individual’s age within a stage.
Publications
- Bahlmann, S., A.M. Faris, S. Bucheli, D.A. Gangitano. 2013. A Molecular Approach: Species Composition of the Maggot Mass in Human Cadavers in the Pineywoods Ecoregion of Southeastern Texas. Proc. Amer. Acad. of Foren. Sci. 19: 294-295.
- Faris, A.M., S. Bucheli, D.A. Gangitano. 2012. Species Composition of the Maggot Mass. Texas. Proc. Amer. Acad. of Foren. Sci. 18: 186-187.