About

Cris Hughes is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. His research interests include the use and limitations of ancestry estimations in skeletal variation, the reliability measures of biological profile estimation methods, and disparities in investigations of missing and unidentified persons. He is a board-certified forensic anthropologist who has been assisting unidentified persons investigations in Illinois since 2013 through consultation with coroner’s offices. Since 2023, he has served as an appointed member of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission. As the director of the Investigative Technology Exchange at the Institute of Genomic Biology, Hughes partners with the Illinois State Police to facilitate research and developments aimed at enhancing forensic science in Illinois, with a current focus on forensic investigative genetic genealogy. He teaches courses including Introduction to Forensic Science, Forensic Genetics Lab, Forensic Anthropology, and the Senior Capstone Seminar. Hughes is also affiliated with the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology as the Outreach Affiliate, Genomic Security and Privacy Theme Affiliate, and Investigative Technology Exchange Director.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Geography
• Mathematics
• Demography
• Archaeology
• Statistics
• Psychology
• Engineering
• Anthropology
• Data science
• Gerontology
• Medicine
• Veterinary medicine

Selected publications

• Applying posterior probability informed thresholds to traditional cranial trait sex estimation methods

  Journal of Forensic Sciences · 2021 · 19 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Statistics
  • Psychology

  Sex estimation methods using traditional cranial nonmetric traits utilize predictive models to produce a final sex estimation, using the resulting model's score to classify the individual. When sex estimations are assigned from discriminant scoring alone, statistical confidence in the resultant estimate is not always assessed or reported. Although some forensic anthropologists may qualitatively report their confidence in the assessment (e.g., "probable male"), these statements are subjective, not standardized, and not necessarily based on statistical results in a uniform way. The goals of this study were to evaluate how posterior probability-informed thresholds (PPITs) impacted accuracy rates, assess the balance between sample inclusion and accuracy for the proposed PPIT approach, and make recommendations for the use and interpretation of specific thresholds in casework. Using a sample of U.S. Black and White females and males (n = 292), we examined how PPITs can standardize the decision-making process of inferring sex for two methods using nonmetric cranial traits. We found that using PPITs of at least 0.85 increased accuracy (over 92% for some PPITs) yet remained highly inclusive of the sample. PPITs < 0.75 did not produce classification accuracy rates significantly higher than chance, and when using these cranial trait sex estimation methods, cases with posterior probabilities (PPs) <0.75 should be reported as "indeterminate." The 0.75-0.84 PPIT interval had an accuracy rate of 76%, which was both statistically significantly different from chance as well as from the higher (>0.85) groups, suggesting that although sex estimation at this level may be acceptable, the results hold lower confidence.

  DOI

• Forensic anthropology casework performance: Assessing accuracy and trends for biological profile estimates on a comprehensive sample of identified decedent cases

  Journal of Forensic Sciences · 2021 · 17 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Demography
  • Statistics

  The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy rates and trends in forensic anthropology casework concerning the estimation of the biological profile (sex, age, ancestry, and stature). Identified cases from the Forensic Anthropology Database for Assessing Methods Accuracy (FADAMA; n = 359) were analyzed to explore the following: accuracy rates per biological profile component, case-level performance in assessing the biological profile, and factors related to inaccuracy rates. Accuracy rates for the four biological profile components ranged from 83% to 98%, with sex estimation performing the best and stature performing the poorest. While the overall sex estimation inaccuracies were the lowest of any biological profile component, we found that females are missexed approximately ten times more often than males. Inaccurate age estimates were more frequently the result of overestimation than underestimation, while the trends are reversed for stature estimation. Regarding ancestry estimation performance, African American/Black and White decedents had the lowest inaccuracy rates, while Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander decedents demonstrated greater inaccuracy rates. When examining accuracy rates for each case, 81% of cases had no inaccurate biological profile estimates, while 17% and 2% inaccurately estimated one and two biological profile components, respectively. The demographic trends of identified forensic anthropology cases reflect the national unidentified decedent demographics. Biological profile accuracy rates were generally comparable to previous studies. The findings highlight the current status of forensic anthropologists' casework performance, with a greater amount of case-level inaccuracy rates than previously thought, and demonstrate the potential methodological and sampling strategies that could improve accuracy rates.

  DOI

• Technical note: A report on the Forensic Anthropology Database for Assessing Methods Accuracy

  American Journal of Physical Anthropology · 2020 · 10 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Sociology
  • Computer Science

  We report on the functionality, available support, and research capability of the Forensic Anthropology Database for Assessing Methods Accuracy (FADAMA; DOJ DUBX0213). FADAMA is an online repository for case data from identified forensic skeletal cases. The goal of FADAMA is to address the lack of adequate measures for assessing accuracy and reliability of forensic anthropology methods. FADAMA requires users to apply for access with their university or organization credentials. Verified users may upload and download anonymized case data via the user interface, after signing a terms of service agreement outlining ethical behavior. Case data uploads require information about the actual biological profile of the decedent and the forensic anthropology estimations. Uploading case data takes approximately 15-25 min. FADAMA users currently have 85 methods to select from when entering case data, with the capability to add new methods as they are developed. Access to the database is free, and online video tutorials are available for users covering database functionality. Currently, the database houses anonymized case data for over 350 identified cases from across the U.S. Funding has been allocated for a database technician to assist offices with large caseloads to upload cases. As it stands, the database is easy to use, and maintains thoughtful tools to assist users. The power of the database to identify trends in both method accuracy and usage is apparent, and will continue to grow as more cases are added.

  DOI

Frequent coauthors

• Mark Algee‐Hewitt

  10 shared

• Chelsey A. Juarez

  8 shared

• Ripan S. Malhi

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  8 shared

• Gillian Fowler

  6 shared

• Yinqiu Cui

  Jilin University

  6 shared

• B. E. Anderson

  Langley Research Center

  6 shared

• John Lindo

  Emory University

  5 shared

• Jerome S. Cybulski

  Western University

  5 shared