Cathy Tran has been the administrative assistant for Canadian Universities for Forensic Science since October 2021.
She is a recent graduate from the forensic anthropology specialist program at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Archaeology at Simon Fraser University, where her research focusses on exploring the potential of non-destructive ancient DNA and forensic anthropology methods to detect graves in soil for humanitarian purposes.
During her undergraduate studies, she has been involved in various research projects, which has led to opportunities to present at scientific conferences within Canada and America. Her research projects have ranged from exploring pedagogical approaches and productive failure in science education to the evolution and variation in the human nasal region to investigating 3D microscopy methods to quantify force on bone cut marks. Her work has been published within the Young Anthropology journal at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the prestigious American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
In the summer of 2020, she worked at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service in a summer student position as a Laboratory Assistant, where she supported the team of Forensic Services Technologists in coordinating the testing and storage of biological samples (including bodily fluids, tissues, organs, and DNA) and evidence from post-mortem examinations. During this role, she also supported the maintenance of the chain of custody by assisting with warrant checks, organ consultations, preparations of DNA kits, supporting the Forensic Services Histologists with histology blocks and slides, and archiving of post-mortem samples.