Active Genetics & Molecular Biology Computing & AI

Examining the legal, ethical and social implications of advanced forensic genetic technologies

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation University of Leicester
Funding Not disclosed
Period Oct 2025 — Sept 2028

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Police in the UK are already using advanced forensic genetic tools—such as rapid DNA analysis, DNA-based predictions of a suspect’s appearance, and genetic genealogy—but the laws and ethical rules governing them have not kept pace. This research addresses a gap: while traditional DNA profiling is well regulated, newer technologies raise unresolved questions about privacy, consent, genetic surveillance, and the influence of commercial DNA databases. The project combines legal analysis with interviews of police, forensic scientists, and private companies to map how these tools are actually being used and regulated. If successful, it will produce concrete recommendations for updating the governance framework to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness. The impact is on systems most people rarely think about—the quiet machinery of criminal justice, where decisions about who gets investigated and how genetic data is handled affect public trust and individual rights. This is not fundamental science; it is a socio-legal study that aims to shape policy before these technologies become routine.

View original technical description
This research examines the legal, ethical, and social implications of advanced forensic genetic technologies in the United Kingdom. While traditional DNA profiling is well established in criminal justice, newer tools such as rapid DNA analysis, forensic DNA phenotyping, and genetic genealogy present both opportunities and risks. These technologies promise to expand investigative capacity, particularly where conventional methods fail, but their adoption raises pressing concerns around privacy, consent, genetic surveillance, and the influence of commercial providers. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research will combine doctrinal analysis of legislation, case law, and regulatory frameworks with socio-legal inquiry into the practices of police, forensic scientists, and private companies. The project will explore how external pressures including law enforcement demands and market dynamics shape the regulation and use of these technologies, and whether the current governance framework is fit for purpose. By analysing the interplay between law and science, the study aims to identify regulatory gaps, highlight best practices, and develop recommendations that promote transparency, accountability, and fairness in the use of forensic genetics. Keywords: forensic science; genetics; DNA; probabilistic genotyping; forensic DNA phenotyping; genetic genealogy; regulation; socio-legal

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Researchers

Ebony Morgan (EPMC Awardee)

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Original classification

PhD Studentship (Basic)

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