Joan Bienvenue's Biography

Joan Bienvenue, Executive Director, Applied Research Institute, University of Virginia

Dr. Bienvenue received a BS in Chemistry from Rivier University, followed by an MS in Forensic Science at the University of New Haven, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from the University of Mary Washington. She was a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellow while at the University of Virginia, where her graduate work focused on the development of novel DNA purification schemes in integrated microfluidic systems for clinical and forensic DNA analysis, summarized in several peer-reviewed papers. After completion of her graduate studies, Dr. Bienvenue was an ORISE Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the FBI Academy-Quantico, VA, evaluating methods for DNA purification from bone. Following her postdoctoral appointment, she joined the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), as the Validation and Quality Control Supervisor, where, in addition to managing the team that provided quality control of reagents and instrumentation for the laboratory, she oversaw the evaluation, validation, and implementation of new technology for both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA forensic casework analysis. She joined Lockheed Martin in 2008 and most recently served as Chief Scientist and Program Manager, in support of the development of rapid microfluidic DNA analysis systems. In June of 2013, she returned to the University of Virginia to lead the Applied Research Institute, where she is currently the Senior Executive Director. ARI leverages the University’s human and capital assets to support applied research, education, and training, with a focus on homeland security, national intelligence, and defense challenges.
Dr. Bienvenue is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.