Forensic Toxicology

Dr. Alex J. Krotulski serves as an Program Director at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) working in the areas of forensic toxicology and forensic chemistry and is the Program Manager for NPS Discovery, the CFSRE’s drug early warning system and flagship program for the identification and characterization of new and emerging synthetic drugs. Dr. Krotulski is a chemist by training and practices as a forensic toxicologist. Dr. Krotulski holds faculty appointment and serves as the Assistance Program Director for the Jefferson Master of Science in Forensic Toxicology Program (MSFT) and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

Dr. Krotulski received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Analytical Chemistry from Temple University in 2019 following receipt of his Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from Arcadia University in 2015 and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Loyola University New Orleans in 2013. To date, Dr. Krotulski has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal publications in the areas of forensic toxicology, clinical toxicology, and forensic chemistry, in addition to giving more than 80 scientific presentations across various areas of forensic science, mass spectrometry, and analytical chemistry, and has severed a chair, co-chair, or moderator for many workshops and webinars. Dr. Krotulski’s current research and casework focus heavily on aspects related to the detection and characterization of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and drug supplies, including studies that examine positivity, trends, metabolism, and effects through NPS Discovery’s intelligence, surveillance, monitoring, and response efforts.

For his contributions to the field of forensic toxicology, Dr. Krotulski was awarded the inaugural 2021 Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) Research in Forensic Toxicology Award and the 2022 American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Toxicology Section’s Irving Sunshine Award for Outstanding Research by a Young Investigator. In addition, Dr. Krotulski was awarded the 2020 Young Forensic Scientists Forum (YFSF) Founder’s Award and 2017 AAFS Toxicology Section’s Best Poster Award and has received honors for his Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFS) Noteworthy Article involving the synthetic cannabinoid 4F-MDMB-BINACA. In 2020, Dr. Krotulski was appointed to serve as the Guest Editor for the 2021 Special Issue in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

Dr. Krotulski remains an active member of several professional organizations including the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS – Toxicology Section), The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), the International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs (ISSED), and the International Alliance of Clinical and Forensic Toxicologists (IACFT). Dr. Krotulski serves on various committees across these organizations, including SOFT’s NPS Committee and Young Forensic Toxicologists Committee, and has completed various other roles with respect to planning committees, program committees, and working groups. For his expertise in high-resolution mass spectrometry and its applications, Dr. Krotulski has been designated as a “Thought Leader” with SCIEX.

Highlighted Publications

• Alex J. Krotulski, Nancy Garibay, Donna Walther, Sara E. Walton, Amanda L.A. Mohr, Barry K. Logan, Michael H. Baumann. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the synthetic cannabinoid, 5F-MDMB-PICA, in male rats. Neuropharmacology. 2021. 199, 108800.
• Alex J. Krotulski, Donna M. Papsun, Sara E. Walton, Barry K. Logan. Metonitazene in the United States – Forensic Toxicology Assessment of a Potent New Synthetic Opioid using Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Drug Testing and Analysis. 2021. 13 (10), 1697-1711. 
• Alex J. Krotulski, Brittany P. Chapman, Sarah J. Marks, Sam T. Ontiveros, Katharine Devin-Holcombe, Melissa F. Fogarty, Hai Trieu, Barry K. Logan, Roland C. Merchant, Kavita M. Babu. Fentanyl: a comparison of blood fentanyl concentrations and naloxone dosing after non-fatal overdose. Clinical Toxicology. 2021. 60 (2), 197-204. 
• Elan Barenholtz, Alex J. Krotulski*, Paul Morris, Nicole D. Fitzgerald, Austin Le, Donna M. Papsun, Barry K. Logan, William E. Hahn, Bruce A. Goldberger, Linda B. Cottler, Joseph J. Palamar. Online Surveillance of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Monitoring Reddit Discussions as a Predictor of Increased NPS-Related Exposures. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2021. 98, 103393.
• Alex J Krotulski, Susan Jansen Varnum, and Barry K Logan. Sample Mining and Data Mining Combined Real-Time and Retrospective Approaches for Identification of Emerging Novel Psychoactive Substances. Journal of Forensic Science. 2019. 65 (2), 550-562. 
• Alex J Krotulski, Amanda LA Mohr, Sherri L Kacinko, Melissa F Fogarty, Sarah A Shuda, Francis X Diamond, William A Kinney, MJ Menendez, Barry K Logan. 4F-MDMB-BINACA: A New Synthetic Cannabinoid Widely Implicated in Forensic Casework. Journal of Forensic Science. 2019. 64 (5), 1451-1461.

Francis Diamond was Technical Director in the Criminalistics chemistry division of NMS labs. Fran is currently a senior staff scientist for the CFSRE. He is a graduate of Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales (now De Sales University) with a B.S in Chemistry. Fran recently retired from NMS labs after 42 years of service. His areas of expertise are in the techniques of separation and detection of drugs/controlled substances. This includes gas-chromatography (GC), Liquid-chromatography (HPLC), and Mass spectrometry. He was responsible for technical oversight for controlled substances analysis throughout the NMS system of drug testing laboratories. He has developed analytical methods for measurements of various drugs such as amphetamines, opiates, benzodiazepines, and general unknown screening. He has developed and integrated analytical techniques including derivatization, solid-phase extraction, and deconvolution of mass spectral data. He has authored and co-authored numerous papers in the field of analytical toxicology. He has also participated in collaborative studies with instrument manufacturers and government agencies.

Judith Rodriguez serves as laboratory support assistant and STEM coordinator at CFSRE assisting in all laboratory necessities, developing STEM classes and laboratory activities for surrounding schools in the Philadelphia area. She also serves as the ITAD program administrator and Instrumental Analysis lab teacher for Thomas Jefferson University and Arcadia University 1st year students.

Judith Rodriguez graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. In 2018, she obtained her Master of Science in Forensic Science from Arcadia University, focusing on forensic biology through her research in a Method Development of Direct Quantification for Sexual Assault Samples to be Incorporated in the Direct PCR Workflow. She also focused on forensic toxicology through her internship at the CFSRE. After the completion of her degree, she worked as the forensic toxicology mentor for the Forensic Science Mentoring Institute class of Summer 2018, in which she is reprising her role for the Summer 2023.

She has been working as the International Toxic Adulterant Database (ITAD) program administrator as a liaison between laboratories around the world, collecting data and managing the ITAD.org website where all data about the toxic adulterants identified in seized drug material are displayed. Judith also worked on the African Wildlife Forensic program. She assists the lab manager in making sure the laboratory has everything that is needed to run and instruments are in good working condition. She also acts as the in-house Lab Safety Officer.

As the STEM coordinator, she is working on forensic science outreach, bringing forensic science to middle and high schools in the Philadelphia area. She also organizes field trips for students to come to CFSRE and perform laboratory experiments on the different forensic science fields.