Associate Director
Dr. Mirna Ghemrawi serves as an Associate Director at the CFSRE focusing on Forensic Biology, Genetics and Epigenetics. Dr. Ghemrawi holds a faculty appointment and serves as the Program Director for the Thomas Jefferson University Master of Science in Forensic Biology (MSFB) program. She also serves as a reviewer in scientific journals including the International Journal of Legal Medicine and Electrophoresis.Dr. Ghemrawi received her Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry from Florida International University in 2022 where she graduated with the Real Triumphs award. She was invited to contribute to the “Young and Inspiring Scientists Special Issue” in Electrophoresis peer-reviewed Journal. She was also elected to serve as a Co-chair for the 2025 Gordon Research Seminar on Forensic DNA.
Prior to moving to the United States for graduate school, Mirna graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences from Haigazian University, Lebanon on a full Merit Scholarship from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Following that award, Dr. Ghemrawi got awarded the J. William Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship, by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, one of the most prestigious scholarships globally where she pursued her master’s in forensic science at Purdue University, IN.
To date, Dr. Ghemrawi successfully executed numerous research projects that culminated in peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations nationally and internationally including the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG), The American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), and the International Symposium on Forensic DNA in Law (ISFDL). Dr. Ghemrawi developed a pyrosequencing-based assay for species identification, an epigenetic-based examination for complex body fluids and she also worked on investigating the genital microbiome for sexual assault cases.
In addition to the awards highlighted above, Dr. Ghemrawi has a passion for Education, Science Communication and STEM outreach. She offers pro bono sessions for students interested in applying to graduate schools, communicating science to non-scientists, and connecting students to professionals and experts in the field. She was the First Place Winner of the Three-Minutes Thesis competition at FIU, Second place winner of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lebanon Challenge hackathon 2020, and received the Best Community Interaction Award for linking highschoolers to universities. Dr. Ghemrawi was featured in numerous blogs and interviews:
