Dr. Byrd is a Professor and Associate Director of the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine. He is a Board- Certified Forensic Entomologist and Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Entomology. Dr. Byrd is the educational program administrator for UF’s Veterinary Forensic Sciences, Wildlife Forensic Sciences, Shelter Medicine, and Forensic Medicine educational programs. He also administers the Wildlife Forensic Sciences Laboratory for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He has served as President of the American Board of Forensic Entomology, the North American Forensic Entomology Association, and the International Veterinary Forensic Science Association. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Dr. Byrd has been consulting on forensic casework for over 25 years. Dr. Byrd serves as a Medicolegal Death Investigator within the National Disaster Medical System, Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, Region IV, and serves as Commander for the Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System. He is a subject editor for the Journal of Medical Entomology and Insects and has published numerous scientific articles and book contributions on the use and application of entomological evidence in legal investigations. Dr. Byrd has combined his formal academic training in Entomology and Forensic Science to serve as a consultant and educator in both criminal and civil legal investigations throughout the United States and Internationally. Dr. Byrd specializes in the education of law enforcement officials, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, and other death investigators on the use and applicability of arthropods in legal investigations. His research efforts have focused on the development and behavior of insects that have forensic importance.