Tracey Dawson Cruz, Ph.D.
Associate professor for forensic science and biology
Graduate director of forensic science
tcdawson@vcu.edu
(804) 828-0642

Education
Tracey Dawson Cruz earned bachelor’s degrees in microbiology and zoology from North Carolina State University and received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Molecular and Cellular Pathology from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, School of Medicine.

Professional experience
At Virginia Commonwealth University, Dawson Cruz serves as an assistant professor of forensic sciences and biology, and is director of graduate studies for forensic science. In addition to teaching a variety of courses, she also manages the forensic molecular biology research and teaching laboratory and coordinates the forensic sciences library resources. Dawson Cruz still finds time to continue her work as a forensic DNA professional by serving as a technical consultant for several state and private DNA databanking and forensic casework laboratories.

Professional accomplishments
Dawson Cruz is a guest reviewer for the Journal of Forensic Sciences and has published many primary articles on her own research efforts. Additionally, she frequently serves as a peer-review panelist for the National Institutes of Justice forensic DNA-related federal grant programs. She is the VCU representative for the International Association for Identification Education Committee and is a member of many professional societies, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Sciences, and the American Society of Crime Lab Directors.

Dawson Cruz’s primary research efforts focus on new techniques and technologies that may be used to increase the success rate of forensic DNA analyses from difficult biological specimens, specifically, by using methods of whole genome amplification. She has been invited to speak about her research program at several professional meetings, including the 2004 annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences meeting in Dallas, Texas and at the 2004 annual Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Sciences meeting in Wilmington, Delaware.