American Academy of Forensic Sciences

What American Academy of Forensic Sciences does

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, multidisciplinary professional organization founded in 1948 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It serves over 6,500 members across all 50 U.S. states and 70+ countries, organized into 12 discipline-specific sections spanning pathology/biology, toxicology, anthropology, odontology, questioned documents, digital and multimedia sciences, psychiatry and behavioral science, forensic nursing science, criminalistics, engineering, jurisprudence, and general/miscellaneous. Its core offerings are the Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFS), published continuously since 1956 in partnership with Wiley; the AAFS Connect digital platform for webinars, standards training, and educational content; and the Annual Scientific Conference, which convenes thousands of practitioners (78th edition in New Orleans, February 2026; 79th scheduled for Orlando, February 2027). Underpinning these are three wholly-owned subsidiaries — the AAFS Standards Board (ASB), which has published 140+ standards and best practice recommendations; FEPAC, which accredits collegiate forensic science programs; and the Forensic Sciences Foundation (FSF), which funds scholarships and research grants. The organization also maintains a flagship collaboration with NIST's Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) on national forensic science standards and issues formal policy statements to federal agencies on forensic science practice.

AAFS generates revenue through five diversified streams: tiered annual membership dues across Student Affiliate, Trainee Affiliate, Associate Member, Member, and Fellow levels; registration fees and sponsorship from the Annual Scientific Conference; JFS subscription and publication revenue shared with Wiley; fees from webinars and standards training delivered via AAFS Connect; and charitable contributions and grants routed through the Forensic Sciences Foundation. Distribution is direct via the AAFS website membership portal and the annual conference, with content distributed globally through Wiley's academic channels and the Cvent virtual event platform. The membership base is fundamentally individual professionals — forensic scientists, medical examiners, crime scene investigators, students, attorneys, and judges — rather than enterprise accounts, making the model a long-tail subscription-plus-events business with low customer concentration. As of 2022, the organization modernized its public website, account portal, and brand identity and adopted a hybrid conference format; ongoing leadership (Jim Curuso, 2026 President) has signaled continued internationalization under the theme 'Around the World and Beyond.'

Name

American Academy of Forensic Sciences

Legal name

American Academy of Forensic Sciences

Website

https://aafs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1948, serving 6,500+ forensic science practitioners, students, and legal professionals worldwide through the Journal of Forensic Sciences, the Annual Scientific Conference, and 12 discipline-specific sections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific) (EDADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional & Programmatic Accreditation Audits (EDADAGAA)

Keywords

• Forensic science association
• Professional membership organization
• Peer-reviewed journal publication
• Scientific standards development
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from over 6,500 professional members across 12 forensic science sections
2. Annual Conference Revenue: Registration fees and sponsorship revenue from the organization's annual scientific meeting and exhibition
3. Journal Subscriptions: Revenue from the Journal of Forensic Sciences published in partnership with Wiley
4. Webinar and Educational Programs: Fees from professional development webinars and educational content via the AAFS Connect platform
5. Donations and Grants: Charitable contributions and grant funding supporting forensic science research and education initiatives

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AAFS is a multi-disciplinary professional membership organization that provides membership services, peer-reviewed publication of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, an annual scientific conference, continuing education through the AAFS Connect platform, national forensic standards development via the AAFS Standards Board, academic program accreditation through FEPAC, and scholarships and research grants through the Forensic Sciences Foundation. Its offerings serve forensic scientists, legal professionals, students, and researchers across 12 discipline-specific sections.

Product overview

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is a multidisciplinary professional organization offering a unified membership-based platform rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include the peer-reviewed Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFS) as the flagship publication, AAFS Connect as the digital educational content platform, and the Annual Scientific Conference as the premier in-person event. Supporting infrastructure includes the AAFS Standards Board (ASB) for standards development, FEPAC for educational program accreditation, and the Forensic Sciences Foundation (FSF) for scholarships and grants. Membership services provide access to the Online Directory, Expert Witness Database, webinars, standards resources, and career tools across 12 forensic science discipline sections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFS) The official peer-reviewed publication of AAFS, recognized as the leading journal in forensic science. It publishes original investigations, observations, scholarly inquiries, and reviews across all forensic science disciplines including anthropology, criminalistics, digital and multimedia sciences, toxicology, and pathology. Distributed globally in partnership with Wiley.
• AAFS Connect A digital hub for forensic science content providing access to conference workshops, presentations, webinars, educational training, standards videos, and other professional resources for members and affiliates.
• Annual Scientific Conference AAFS's flagship annual event featuring hundreds of scientific presentations, workshops, networking opportunities, and scientific exhibitors, offered as both in-person and hybrid formats.
• AAFS Standards Board (ASB) An organization dedicated to creating a national registry of forensic standards to promote regulation of the forensic science profession, having published over 140 Standards, Best Practice Recommendations, and Technical Reports.
• FEPAC (Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission) Provides accreditation to high-quality forensic science education programs at colleges and universities, maintaining a directory of accredited programs for students and professionals.
• Forensic Sciences Foundation (FSF) AAFS's nonprofit arm supporting emerging scientists through scholarships, research and education grants, training, and awards including the Warren-Young Scholarship, Field and Lucas Research Grants, and Emerging Forensic Scientist Award.
• AAFS Membership Services Comprehensive membership program with multiple tiers (Student Affiliate, Trainee Affiliate, Associate Member, Member, Fellow) providing access to the Online Directory, Expert Witness Database, professional development, networking, and member benefits across 12 section disciplines.
• Webinars and Educational Training Professional development content including AAFS Webinars, JFS Seminars (Forensic Lab Talks), and Standards Training offered through AAFS Connect as member benefits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving the forensic science community for over 75 years

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• WileycoreTechnology or IntegrationWiley serves as the publishing partner for the Journal of Forensic Sciences, the official peer-reviewed publication of the AAFS. This partnership handles journal production, distribution, and subscription management, providing the organization with access to academic publishing infrastructure and global distribution channels.
• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AAFS collaborates with NIST's Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) to develop and promote forensic science standards. This partnership positions the organization at the forefront of quality assurance and standardization efforts in forensic science practice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT): Professional organization for forensic toxicologists, mirroring AAFS's discipline-section structure. Directly comparable as a peer forensic science membership body, with similar annual meeting, continuing education, and peer-reviewed publication (Journal of Analytical Toxicology).
• International Association for Identification (IAI): International professional membership organization for forensic identification, crime scene, and latent print examiners. Closely comparable to AAFS in its membership-association model serving forensic practitioners, with a similar annual conference and certification programs.
• International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN): Membership organization for forensic nurses operating globally, with a comparable structure to AAFS's Forensic Nursing Science section. Similar membership dues model, annual conference, and certification/endorsement programs.
• National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME): Professional organization representing medical examiners and forensic pathologists. Directly comparable as a forensic-discipline membership body with accreditation programs (forensic autopsy facilities) that parallel AAFS's FEPAC accreditation work.
• American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD): Membership association for crime laboratory leaders and forensic science executives. Comparable to AAFS in mission and structure, with overlapping membership and shared focus on laboratory accreditation, standards, and management of forensic science operations.
• American Board of Criminalistics (ABC): US-based certification body for forensic scientists that complements AAFS's professional development mission. Comparable as a forensic-science credentialing organization with direct relevance to AAFS's standards and certification work.

Regional players

• Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS): Canada's national multidisciplinary forensic science membership association, structurally analogous to AAFS but serving Canadian practitioners. Comparable in offering an interdisciplinary membership model and a peer-reviewed journal (Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal).
• Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS): Regional professional body for forensic scientists in Australia and New Zealand. Directly comparable as a multidisciplinary forensic science membership association with a peer-reviewed journal and annual symposium format mirroring AAFS's annual scientific meeting.
• British Academy of Forensic Sciences (BAFS): UK-based multidisciplinary forensic science professional body. Similar multidisciplinary membership model to AAFS, but operating primarily in the United Kingdom with regional conferences and publications.

Broad incumbents

• International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP): Large, established professional membership association for police leadership with a much broader scope than AAFS. Comparable as a peer membership-association operating in the criminal justice ecosystem, though its focus extends well beyond forensic science.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/The_AAFS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AAFSChannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/AAFS.Forensic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-academy-of-forensic-sciences

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Academy of Forensic Sciences