Dr. Sigal Starinsky Elbaz is a forensic DNA expert and geneticist with a strong academic and professional background in genetics, biotechnology, and forensic science.

She earned her B.Sc. in Food Engineering and Biotechnology from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and her M.Sc. in Human Genetics from Tel Aviv University, where she researched genotype-phenotype correlation in colorectal cancer patients in Israel. She later completed her Ph.D. at the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, specializing in genetics and neurobiology. Her doctoral research focused on elucidating a new functional domain in the neurofibromin protein.

From 2015 to 2021, Dr. Starinsky Elbaz served in the Israeli National Police, where she significantly advanced forensic DNA capabilities. As the Head of the Human Remains DNA Database Unit, she established the Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Unit, a pioneering initiative that enabled the identification of highly degraded biological samples—cases where conventional forensic DNA techniques would have failed.

Her expertise in mtDNA sequencing, a rare and highly specialized field in forensic science, has contributed to solving complex forensic cases, including three high-profile missing person cases, two of which were later determined to be homicides.

Currently, Dr. Starinsky Elbaz is leading the establishment of a new Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) section in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office forensic DNA lab, further expanding the use of mtDNA analysis to enhance forensic investigations.

Beyond her direct forensic work, Dr. Starinsky Elbaz has collaborated with international forensic experts, sharing her methodologies to improve forensic human identification worldwide.