About Dr. Rhinesmith-Carranza
Jennifer L. Rhinesmith-Carranza, Ph.D., M-ABFE, T-ABFE, is a Board-Certified Forensic Entomologist, educator, and forensic consultant specializing in the collection, identification, analysis, and interpretation of insect evidence.
Forensic Casework & Expert Testimony
Dr. Rhinesmith-Carranza has contributed forensic entomology expertise to more than 25 investigations across local, state, federal, and international jurisdictions. Her casework applies established scientific methods and current research to questions involving insect colonization, development and succession, time of colonization estimations, scene and environmental conditions, and the interpretation of entomological evidence. She provides consultation throughout the investigative and legal process, including evidence review and analysis, scientific reporting, deposition, and expert witness testimony.
Education & Professional Leadership
She earned her Ph.D. in Entomology from Texas A&M University, where she also earned a B.S. in Entomology and B.A. in English. This combination of scientific training and communication expertise is central to her practice: rigorous science is most valuable when its findings, limitations, and significance can be communicated clearly and objectively to investigators, attorneys, courts, and juries.
Training, Certification & Service
Beyond case consultation, Dr. Rhinesmith-Carranza is an experienced university educator and professional trainer. Through her leadership and service with the American Board of Forensic Entomology (ABFE), she supports professional standards, certification, and continuing education in forensic entomology. She has helped support more than 120 professionals through ABFE Technician certification and provides hands-on, ABFE-certified training for law enforcement, crime scene investigators, medicolegal death investigators, and other forensic professionals.
Her approach to forensic practice is grounded in scientific integrity, objectivity, and transparency. Whether examining evidence, reviewing a case, preparing a report, or explaining findings in court, her role is not to advocate for a particular outcome, but to determine what the scientific evidence can support, what it cannot support, and to communicate that distinction clearly.
Science Supporting Justice.