Forensic Science Program

Faculty

(Please also see the list of Adjunct Faculty)

Professor William Whildin

Prof. Whildin is Director of the Forensic Science Program at George Mason University. He has been involved in the design and development of this program since its conception in 2008. Prof. Whildin is a highly decorated, respected criminal Investigator from Fairfax County Police Department with twenty years experience. He also spent eleven years with the Virginia State Medical Examiner’s Office as a senior medico-legal Investigator. He has been an Expert witness in Local, State and Federal Court in forensic/injury/death investigations. Prior to this position he has been an Adjunct Professor at VCU, George Washington University, and at Mason for eleven years. Prof. Whildin has been a trainer for several police academy in the Northern Virginia region, as well as a regular guest lecturer at the following agencies:

• Department of Forensic Science Training Academy - Richmond
• Virginia Institute of Forensic Science & Medicine
• National Association Of Medical Examiners Conference
• Virginia Homicide Investigators Association
• National Association of Medical Examiners
• Department of Criminal Justice Services
• Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services
• Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy
• Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy
• Fairfax County Public Schools
• Northern Virginia Community College
• Virginia State Police

Selected Honors and Awards

• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner: Certificate of Appreciation
• Fairfax County Government: Commendation for Performance
• Federal Bureau of Investigation: Department of Justice Award

• Central Intelligence Agency Commendations

• Sons of the American Revolution: Law enforcement Commendation Medal
• Fairfax County Government: A. Heath Onthank Award for Performance
• Annual Parade Magazine / Chief of Police Association Service Award
• Fairfax County Police Department: Meritorious Service Award
• George Washington University: Certificate of Appreciation

TV Appearances

• Medical Detectives, T.V. Show, season I, episode 3, “Innocence Lost”, 1995
• FBI Files, New Dominion Pictures, season I, episode 9, 1999
• Discovery Health Channel, Atlas Media Corporation, New York, NY, 1999
• National Geographic Television, Washington, D.C., “Taboo Series – Crime Scenes”

Professor Emily Dale Rancourt

Prof. Rancourt is the Graduate Program Coordinator.  She currently teaches several graduate courses in the Forensic Science Program, does academic advising, and serves as the Forensic Internship Coordinator.  Prof. Rancourt earned a Master of Forensic Science degree from the George Washington University.  Prior to joining the Forensic Science Program, Prof. Rancourt worked in the field as a Crime Scene Specialist for the Prince William County Police, Virginia  investigating homicides, suicides, suspicious deaths, police involved shootings, crime scenes associated with life-threatening injuries, child abuse, and serial crimes.  Prof. Rancourt has advanced training and experience documenting blood spatter, bullet trajectory, fingerprint powder and chemical processing, utilizing an alternate light source, casting footwear and tire tracks, as well as bite marks and tool marks.  Prof. Rancourt has also been qualified as an expert in crime scene investigation where she has testified in Federal and local court trials.

Professor Kimberly Carisi

Prof. Carisi is the Undergraduate Program Coordinator. She teaches Basic Crime Scene Analysis, Physical Evidence Analysis, Forensic Photography, and Forensic Research Project. Prof. Carisi is a seasoned Crime Scene Specialists/Investigator with almost a decade of experience in multiple areas of Forensics, specializing in Crime Scene Investigations. Prof. Carisi has a Biology-Pre-Med and Forensic Science educational background, with hundreds of hours of specialized training in advanced criminalistics.

Professor Aman Gill

Prof. Gill is the Research Coordinator of the Forensic Science Program. She is in charge of program research and teaches courses both undergraduate and graduate courses in the Forensic Science Program. Prof. Gill is a Forensic Chemist with a strong foundation in chemistry and multiple years of experience in laboratory forensic analysis. Prof. Gill’s work included analyzing trace evidence for the presence of drug analysis using tandem Mass Spectrometry. More recently she has conducted analysis of biological fluids for drug metabolites. She has a background in both Chemistry and Forensic Science.

Professor Jocelyn Prendergast

Prof. Prendergast is the Program Science Accelerator, who provides guidance, mentoring and recruitment for undergraduate students in the Forensic Science Program. Prof. Prendergast also teaches criminalistics and trace evidence with multiple years of experience working as a Research Chemists at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She has a background in both Chemistry and Forensic Science, as well as years of experience in mentoring and tutoring.