Briana Capistran (Fed)

Briana Capistran is a Research Chemist with the Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group in the Materials Measurement Science Division. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Science (Chemistry minor) from Saint Anselm College in 2015. She then went on to attend Michigan State University, where she received her Master of Science in Forensic Science in 2020 and PhD in Chemistry 2021. Briana started at NIST in 2021 as an NRC Postdoctoral Researcher and continued on as a staff scientist in 2023. She has extensive knowledge in traditional GC-MS analysis and has acquired skills in other mass spectrometry techniques, such as direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS). Her research primarily focuses on the development and optimization of analytical methods, workflows, and techniques for forensic analyses, specifically ignitable liquids and seized drug applications.