WORKSHOP 2 | GHEP-OS Autumn 2025
Program | Prices | Register | General Information
WS2 | Evaluation of biological results given activities.
DATES & SCHEDULES
October 7, 14 and 28, 2025 (Tuesdays). 16h-19h (CET).
INTENDED AUDIENCE
DNA reporting officers with experience in writing statements given sub-source level propositions. Participants are expected to have theoretical and practical background in probabilistic reasoning. Other interested persons are welcomed also.
LEARNING OUTCOME
General awareness of how to formally account for transfer and persistence when the issue is how the DNA was deposited and what the ISFG commission recommends in such cases.
SOFTWARE TOOLS
None
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
50
WORKSHOP SUMMARY
This workshop aims to provide a formal approach for evaluating and reporting DNA findings when the court's focus lies not on identifying the source of the DNA, but on understanding the activities that may have led to its presence. It will be grounded in the recommendations of the DNA Commission of the International Society for Forensic Genetics.
Using simple case examples, participants will learn how to account for factors such as DNA transfer, persistence, and background levels in a transparent, logical, and balanced manner. The workshop will include presentations outlining key concepts essential to interpretation. Through these presentations and a few practical exercises, participants will develop methods for assigning likelihood ratios given activity-level propositions and will be introduced to Bayesian Networks during the debriefing.
Challenges commonly encountered in such evaluations will be discussed, with practical solutions offered—such as how to approach cases when experimental data are scarce and how (not) to answer questions on transfer when asked on the stand.
DETAILED PROGRAM
Available soon.
PLATFORM
Zoom (https://zoom.us/). Links will be sent to confirmed participants by email, at least 24h before the sessions.
We inform you that each of these sessions will be recorded.
LANGUAGE
English. Transcripts in English and automatic subtitles in your preferred language will be available.