Bruce McCord

Not much more than a year after getting his PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, McCord found himself working for Syntex Pharmaceuticals in the Bahamas and trying to figure out what to do about a job offer as a governmental research chemist in forensic science in Quantico, VA. He took it, left his beach house, and started working as a researcher developing methods using capillary electrophoresis for explosives residue. One day someone asked him, “would that thing work for DNA analysis?” The question led him to a strange and interesting journey into the world of forensic DNA typing, then on to academic positions at Ohio University and Florida International University, where he manages a large research group exploring forensic analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. “We still work on methods for explosives detection, but we now also use microfluidics, mass spectrometry and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy in the lab. Our DNA group is moving into rapid PCR, microfluidics and next gen sequencing. We are motivated by the potential of analytical methods to assist victims of crime and make the world a better place,” he says.