Vince Figarelli

Vince Figarelli joined the School of Interdisciplinary Forensics as a Professor of Practice in January of 2024 after serving 33 years as a forensic scientist with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Crime Laboratory.

During his career with AZDPS, Professor Figarelli worked in many different sections of the laboratory, including Toxicology, DNA, and Trace Evidence, before moving into laboratory management. From January 2012 until his retirement, he was the Superintendent of the AZDPS Laboratory System, overseeing the operations of the four laboratories and 160 staff members in the lab system. 

Professor Figarelli's achievements as the Laboratory Superintendent include the implementation of Familial DNA searching in Arizona; the implementation of a Rapid DNA program for crime scene applications (the first in the US to do so); and laboratory efficiency improvements that guided the AZDPS Laboratory to a zero backlog of cases for the first time in its history.

Professor Figarelli is the Program Lead for the in-person BS Forensic Science Degree Program and has taught Forensic Toxicology, Forensic Biology, Analytical Chemistry, and Testimony and Ethics for ASU.