Tim Kalafut
- Associate Professor
- (936) 294-2536
- tim.kalafut@shsu.edu
- CFS 221B
- Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
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Dr. Tim Kalafut joined the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University as an Associate Professor in August 2020. Dr. Kalafut received a B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Music from Whitworth College in Spokane, WA in 1990. He earned a Ph.D. in Toxicology in 1999 from Texas A&M University. His research at TAMU focused on the bioremediation of trinitrotoluene (TNT), and he completed both protein and gene sequencing in an attempt to understand the mechanisms of the bioremediation process.
After receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Kalafut became a practicing Forensic DNA scientist at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS) in Dallas, TX for three years before joining the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) in Forest Park, GA. In the 19 years spent at the USACIL, he performed DNA testing on thousands of samples from hundreds of cases. His experience in the field includes testifying as an expert witness at numerous state trials as well as military courts martial at Department of Defense installations worldwide. Dr. Kalafut has delivered advanced training in DNA mixtures to practitioners at federal, state, and local crime labs and has published several papers in the field of Forensic DNA. He is a member of OSAC, and has been a speaker at numerous Forensic Science conferences. He was one of the very first U.S. based scientists to become involved in the field of probabilistic genotyping.
DNA has always been associated with the "Who? " question in investigations and at trial. That is, who might have left the DNA behind at a crime scene, as DNA can help identify people of interest. DNA can also help with the "How?" question, when the dispute is how the DNA of the person of interest ended up where it was found. While this has always been part of the use of DNA, in recent years there has been more and more research in this area.
Dr. Kalafut is interested in advancing the interpretation of complex DNA mixtures such as those occurring from alleged sexual assaults, homicides, handled items (eg. trace/touch DNA) and other crimes against persons. However, the research projects that Dr. Kalafut is involved in will look at this interpretation of DNA evidence given both "Who? " and "How?" questions.
An ongoing research theme will be focusing on the evaluation of evidence given activity level propositions, or simply put, not only who the DNA originated from but how. He is also exploring variables that impact DNA transfer, persistence, prevalence, and recovery. Other research interests include mixture deconvolution utilizing probabilistic genotyping software and how these concepts will be used in DNA profiles obtained from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for forensic intelligence purposes.
In addition to the evaluation of evidence itself, Dr. Kalafut’s experiences as an expert witness for both the prosecution and defense led him to take a special interest in the way DNA evidence is presented in court. Dr. Kalafut is a sought-after speaker at DNA conferences and helps to train DNA practitioners in crime laboratories around the country.