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Biography:

Dr. Geraldine Monjardez joined the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University as an Assistant Professor in 2019. Dr. Monjardez received a bachelor’s degree with Honors from the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom in 2008 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science from the University of Manchester in the UK in 2012. In 2013, she worked as a postdoctoral research associate for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she ran experiments using both the synchrotron and the Globar Infrared light sources at the IRENI (Infrared Environmental Imaging) beamline at the Synchrotron Radiation Centre in Stoughton, WI. In 2015, Dr. Monjardez obtained an MSc in Forensic Engineering and Science from Cranfield University in the UK before joining the Department of Chemistry at Western Carolina University as a postdoctoral research scientist from 2016-2018. She investigated the development of SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy)-active forensic evidence swabs for rapid, non-destructive confirmatory serological screening and STR (Short Tandem Repeat) typing of human remains.

Research Interests:

Dr. Monjardez's research focus on the opportunities at the intersection of analytical chemistry (with a focus on Spectroscopy) and trace evidence. She is currently investigating forensic field detection of trace materials, such as body fluids, using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). Other work includes the analysis of automotive greases and explosives and field detection of chemical contaminants in food and biological matrices.

Recent Publications:

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