Education

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University
• M.S. in Criminal Justice, Emphasis in Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University
• B.S. in Biology, The College of William & Mary

Bio

Dr. Williams teaches several of the forensic biology track upper-level and graduate courses. She started her career in forensic molecular biology when she was appointed to a forensic biology fellowship with the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine in 2002. Upon the successful completion of the fellowship, she worked as a forensic scientist for the Virginia Department of Forensic Science until 2007. As an examiner in Forensic Biology, she performed serological and STR DNA analyses on hundreds of cases. Dr. Williams has presented original research at conferences and in poster sessions, and has taught forensic biology related introduction and refresher courses for law enforcement personnel. She has testified as an expert witness in forensic biology in several circuit courts in the state of Virginia. She has publications in forensic science, molecular biology and biochemistry, has been a member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists since 2004, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and is currently serving as a Commissioner for the Forensic Science Educational Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC).

Research Interests

• Forensic body fluid identification, Including microbial, miRNA, mRNA and traditional methods
• Front-end forensic DNA workflow optimization including optical trapping and cell selection
• Phenotypic characterization 

Select Publications

• ORCID Publication Record
• C Smith, SJ Seashols-Williams, EL Boone, T Dawson Green. An Assessment of the Performance Limitations of the Integrated Quantifiler^TM Trio-HRM Assay: A Forensic Tool Designed to Identify Mixtures at the Quantification Stage.  Genes 2024, 15(6), 768; doi: 10.3390/genes15060768.
• T Rockett, M Almahyawi, M Ghimire, A Jonnalagadda, V Tagliaferro, S Seashols-Williams, M Bertino, G Caputo, J Reiner. Cluster-enhanced nanopore sensing of ovarian cancer marker peptides in urine.  ACS Sensors, 2024 Jan 29. doi: 10.1021/acssensors.3c02207.
• CA Lewis, SJ Seashols-Williams. A combined molecular approach utilizing microbial DNA and microRNAs in a qPCR multiplex for the classification of five forensically relevant body fluids. J Forensic Sci. 2023 Oct 11. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15400.
• M Valle, B O'Brien, TD Green, JE Reiner, SJ Seashols-Williams.  Droplet-based optical trapping for cell separation in mock forensic samples.  J Forensic Sci. 2023 Sept 14. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15379.
• D Torres, C Smith, AL Williams, JO Cox, SJ Seashols-Williams, EL Boone, T Dawson Green. A quantifiler™ trio-based HRM screening assay for the accurate prediction of single source versus mixed biological samples.  Int J Legal Med. 2023 Aug 8. doi: 10.1007/s00414-023-03070-6.
• C Rhodes; C Lewis; K Price; A Valentine; M-RA Creighton, E Boone, S Seashols-Williams. Evaluation and Verification of a microRNA Panel Using Quadratic Discriminant Analysis for the Classification of Human Body Fluids in DNA Extracts. Genes 2023, 14, 968. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14050968
• D Wohlfahrt D, AL Tan-Torres, R Green, K Brim, N Bradley, A Brand, E Abshier, F Nogales, K Babcock, JP Brooks, SJ Seashols-Williams S, B Singh. A bacterial signature-based method for the identification of seven forensically relevant human body fluids. Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2023 Mar 22;65:102865. doi: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102865.
• CA Lewis, S Seashols-Williams. Design and optimization of a 16S microbial qPCR multiplex for the identification of feces, saliva, vaginal and menstrual secretions.  J Forensic Sci. 2022 Mar 30.
• C Rhode*, CA Lewis, J Szekely, A Campbell, M Creighton, E Boone, S Seashols-Williams. Developmental validation of a microRNA panel using quadratic discriminant analysis for the identification of seven forensically relevant body fluids.  Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2022 Mar 24;59:102692. 
• AL Tan-Torres Jr, JP Brooks, B Singh, SJ Seashols-Williams.  Machine Learning Clustering and Classification of Human Microbiome Body Sites.  Forensic Sci Int. Volume 328, November 2021, 111008.
• C Smith, JO Cox, C Rhodes, C Lewis, M Koroma, BC Hudson, T Dawson Cruz, SJ Seashols‐Williams. Comparison of DNA typing success in compromised blood and touch samples based on sampling swab composition. J Forensic Sci. 2021 Feb 24.
• BC Hudson, JO Cox, SJ Seashols-Williams, T Dawson Cruz. The Effects of dithiothreitol (DTT) on fluorescent qPCR dyes. J Forensic Sci. 2021 Mar; 66(2): 700-708.