This workshop includes an introduction to the interpretation of DNA mixtures and explanation of likelihood ratio calculations using EuroForMix/DNAStatistX. Hands-on exercises will be performed using the latest versions of EuroForMix and DNAStatistX using provided exercises. To facilitate, we will provide instructions to enable users to download the freely available software onto their computers beforehand. How to interpret the results as well as how to report the results will be discussed. The aim of the workshop is to provide sufficient information and support so that users will be able to run EuroForMix and DNAStatistX software and to understand and report the results.

This is an advanced course intended for case-work scientists who have experience with mixture analysis and interpretation. Experience (theory and hands-on) with EuroForMix and/or DNAStatistX is required. Prior to the workshop, instructions will be provided to enable users to download the latest versions of the freely available software onto their computers and to run a pre-course exercise to make sure the software is installed correctly.

The course will be supplemented with e-learning material, which is recommended to follow prior to the course.

This workshop will provide an overview of the available tools that can be used in the context of Forensic DNA phenotyping for physical appearance prediction. It will describe the genetics behind how these tools were developed as well as the statistical approaches used and finally explore the positives and negatives of the models created and their performance metrics. There will be a hands-on portion of the tools utilizing scripts that users can generate predictions themselves from raw sequence files as well as genotype txt files generated by commercial companies. Finally, we will go in depth on how to present and report these findings to investigators in a case-type setting and will explore what’s next for FDP.

This workshop will explore the key concepts of ancestry inference and population assignment, with a focus on the different applications of biogeographic information in the population and forensic genetic fields. Participants will learn more about ancestry informative genetic markers. Through practical exercises, participants will work with commonly used software for ancestry analyses. Discussions will cover the impact of marker selection and reference population data on the results. The incorporation of biogeographic ancestry in forensic genetic cases - its advantages and limitations - will be addressed. The calculation of the weight of evidence in biogeographic assessments will be presented. Participants will be invited to discuss and interpret ancestry results in population and forensic genetic contexts.

Epigenetics is a relatively new but fast-developing field of research within forensic genetics. The increasing interest is mainly driven by the ability of epigenetic profiling to uncover the influence of ageing and various environmental factors on DNA. In particular, forensic DNA methylation studies so far have been developed to study tissue- and age-associated effects in forensically relevant tissues, or even individual differences between identical twins. These insights have been possible by the employment of DNA conversion techniques and a wide range of common but adjusted genotyping methods. However, consensus on research and method design, as well as data interpretation and reporting are still missing.

The workshop will be divided into four modules:

1. Introduction: Basic concepts of epigenetics & DNA methylation
2. Body fluid/tissue identification: markers & data interpretation
3. Age prediction: markers, prediction models, challenges & possible solutions
4. Towards personalized epigenomics: What does the future hold?

Each module will include both lectures and short exercises, enabling you to not only learn important aspects of this new forensic biomarker type, but also apply what you learn in practice. We will achieve this by incorporating quizzes, analyzing small-scale methylation datasets, evaluating age prediction models, and critically discussing the benefits and limitations of various forensic epigenetic applications.

This workshop will focus on the availability of sequencing technologies and commercial kits, the laboratory procedures utilized to generate sequence data, first- and third-party software workflows for data analysis, best practices of reporting sequence data in forensic genomics, and basic analysis of Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) data with the STRait Razor Suite and FDSTools software will be demonstrated. Attendees will be instructed on the usage of primary (STRait Razor v3 and TSSV) and secondary analysis (STRait Razor Online and FDSTools) tools to analyze data from commercially available kits. Finally, recommendations will be provided regarding MPS Short Tandem Repeat (STR) allele nomenclature and some useful online resources will be introduced, including STRSeq, STRidER, and the Forensic Sequence STRucture Guide.

Attendees should have general understanding of massively parallel sequencing of DNA markers including, but not limited to, concepts such as DNA libraries, STR repeats, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

This workshop will focus on employing the STRait Razor Suite and FDSTools software for analysis of Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) data. Attendees will be instructed on the usage of primary (STRait Razor v3 and TSSV) and secondary analysis (STRait Razor Online and FDSTools) software to analyze data from commercially available kits. Additionally, guidance will be given for modifying the default settings, developing configuration files for both primary and secondary analysis of laboratory-developed tests (e.g., in-house PCR multiplex assays), and considerations for further processing the output. The strengths of and rationale behind the different methods will be explored by examining the results. This way, attendees will gain a deeper insight into the powers and challenges (and solutions!) that arise from the application of MPS to forensic samples.

Attendees should be familiar with general constructs of DNA markers and formats of standard sequencing data storage file types (e.g., BED, FASTQ, SAM/BAM, etc.). While no formal familiarity with any programming languages (e.g., R, Python, etc.) is required, modification of open-source materials may require some basic understanding of computer programming.

The aim of this workshop is to give a comprehensive introduction to Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG). We will explore its history and legal aspects, along with a review of methods for SNP profiling and relationship inference. We will provide insights into genealogy DNA databases and tools for interpreting genetic matches. Theoretical presentations will be mixed with hands-on exercises. For latest updates and further information visit the website https://familias.name/ISFG2025 where links to presentations and exercises will be posted.

The first part of the workshop will focus on the following topics:

• Overview of FIGG: A general introduction to FIGG and its evolution, overview of case types, legal and ethical aspects.

• Establishment of SNP Profiles: Learn about methods to generate SNP profiles. This includes whole genome sequencing, hybridization capture techniques, microarray, and PCR amplicon sequencing.

The aim of this workshop is to give a comprehensive introduction to Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG). We will explore its history and legal aspects, along with a review of methods for SNP profiling and relationship inference. We will provide insights into genealogy DNA databases and tools for interpreting genetic matches. Theoretical presentations will be mixed with hands-on exercises. For latest updates and further information visit the website https://familias.name/ISFG2025 where links to presentations and exercises will be posted.

This second part of the workshop will focus on the following topics:

• Relationship Inference and Matching: Gain understanding in the underlying methods of inferring relationships and matching from the SNP data.

• Genealogy: Insights into the genealogy DNA databases, tools, and sources for pedigree building, and interpreting genetic matches.

The study of pedigrees and genetic relatedness is central in forensic genetics. The aim of this course is to introduce the elegant statistical foundations of relatedness, as well as several forensic applications. In the basic course we focus on pedigree coefficients and likelihood ratios for kinship analysis. We introduce the QuickPed app for drawing and analysing pedigrees, and will also be using R for calculations and visualisations. Lectures and exercises are based on the book Pedigree Analysis in R (Vigeland '21).

The advanced session builds on the basic part, delving deeper into applications and implementations of pedigree analysis in forensic genetics. Main topics for this workshop include pedigree reconstruction and disaster victim identification.