This free online course investigates past, current, and future potential applications of microbiomics in forensics.

Can microbes reveal where a person has been, what they touched, or even how long they have been dead? In this forensic microbiology course, you’ll discover how microbiomics is becoming a powerful tool in modern forensic science. When traditional DNA evidence is limited or unavailable, microbial signatures can help investigators uncover critical clues. This course introduces the growing role of human and environmental microbiomes in crime scene investigation, forensic identification, and death investigation.

You’ll explore the most researched applications of forensic microbiomics, including geolocation, substrate sourcing, personal identification, trace evidence analysis, cause and manner of death, and postmortem interval estimation. Along the way, you’ll see how machine learning strengthens forensic analysis by detecting patterns in microbial data that would otherwise go unnoticed. From linking microbial traces on shoes, phones, and surfaces to identifying biological differences in indoor spaces and postmortem samples, the course shows how microbiome research is reshaping forensic methods.

This course is ideal for learners who want to stay ahead in forensic science, forensic biology, and crime scene analysis. It gives you a clear, research-based view of how microbiomics can support real investigations and expand the future of forensic evidence. If you want to understand one of the most exciting emerging fields in forensic research, this course will give you the insight, language, and confidence to explore forensic microbiome applications with purpose.