John M. Butler (scientist)
{{Short description|American scientist (born 1969)}}
{{Infobox scientist
|image =
|caption =
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|4|1}}
|birth_place = California, US
|death_date =
|death_place =
|field = Forensic science
|alma_mater = Brigham Young University
University of Virginia
|work_institution = National Institute of Standards and Technology
| thesis_url = https://strbase.nist.gov//pub_pres/JohnButler-PhD-Dissertation-1995.pdf
| thesis_title = Sizing and quantitation of polymerase chain reaction products by capillary electrophoresis for use in DNA typing
| thesis_year = 1995
|known_for = forensic genetics
forensic biology
}}
John M. Butler (born April 1, 1969) is a scientist and expert on forensic DNA profiling. He is a fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Since 2020, he serves as president of the International Society for Forensic Genetics.[https://www.isfg.org/About/Executive+Committee ISFG Executive Committee]
Education
Butler received his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Brigham Young University. From 1993-1995, he worked as a visiting scientist at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and earned his Ph.D. in Analytical chemistry from the University of Virginia in 1995.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cstl.nist.gov/strbase/butler.htm|title = John Butler}} After a first employment as postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology for two years, he continued to work 1997-1999 as a staff scientist for the start-up company GeneTrace Systems Inc.{{cite news |last1=Gershon |first1=Diane |title=Funding brings high-risk technologies to the marketplace |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/20244 |access-date=27 March 2021 |issue=399, 182 |publisher=Nature |date=13 May 1999}} using time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the separation of short tandem repeat markers. {{cite journal|last1=Butler|first1=J. M.|last2=Li|first2=J.|last3=Shaler|first3=T. A.|last4=Monforte|first4=J. A.|last5=Becker|first5=C. H.|title=Reliable genotyping of short tandem repeat loci without an allelic ladder using time-of-flight mass spectrometry|journal=International Journal of Legal Medicine|volume=112|issue=1|year=1998|pages=45–49|issn=0937-9827|doi=10.1007/s004140050197|pmid=9932742|s2cid=13672044}}
Professional career
Since 2000, Butler works at the NIST, first as project leader and since 2008 as group leader of the Applied Genetics Group. In 2013 he was promoted to Special Assistant to the Director for Forensic Science, NIST Office of Special Programs.
He co-chaired the National Commission of Forensic Sciences (NCFS) invoked by the Attorney General in 2013, to enhance the practice and improve the reliability of forensic science.{{cite web |title=National Commission on Forensic Science |url=https://www.justice.gov/archives/ncfs |website=United States Department of Justice |date=20 August 2014 |access-date=27 March 2021}} The NCFS was terminated on April 23, 2017, following the presidential administration change and has published a business document both reflecting on the work done and the future work ahead.{{cite web |title=National Commission on Forensic Science: Reflecting Back - Looking Toward the Future |url=https://www.justice.gov/archives/ncfs/page/file/959356/download |website=The United States Department of Justice |publisher=NIST |access-date=27 March 2021}}
Butler has written several widely recognized textbooks on forensic DNA profiling
covering all aspects of the underlying molecular genetic methods, the application to forensic casework and the biostatistical interpretation of results.{{YouTube|id= e6yDJuV1TIs |title= Writing the books on forensic DNA: Dr. John Butler }} He received the Scientific Prize of the International Society for Forensic Genetics in 2003.[http://www.isfg.org/About/Scientific+Prize ISFG Scientific Prize]
Board memberships and committees
- Since 2000: Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM){{Cite web|url=https://www.swgdam.org/committees|title=Committees}}https://1ecb9588-ea6f-4feb-971a-73265dbf079c.filesusr.com/ugd/4344b0_9a5b02ceb7b94880ae7450cb07afefad.pdf Current list of SWGDAM Committee members, last access 27 March 2021
- 2010-2018: Associate editor of Forensic Science International: Geneticshttps://www.fsigenetics.com/content/edboard last access 27 March 2021
- Editorial Board member of Journal of Forensic Scienceshttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/15564029/homepage/editorialboard.html last access 27 March 2021
- Since 2016: Executive board member of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG)https://www.isfg.org/About/Alumni last access 27 March 2021
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://www.nist.gov/people/john-butler John Butler NIST staff page]
- {{google scholar id|V5jgBoEAAAAJ}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, John M.}}
Category:Brigham Young University alumni
Category:University of Virginia alumni
Category:Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers