Teaching and Learning Investigative Genetic Genealogy

DNA Doe Project is a committed leader in the field of Investigative Genetic Genealogy. To us, that means raising all the boats – teaching others to do what we do in order to effectively address the enormous backlog of unidentified remains cases in the US. We don’t believe in keeping our methods a secret.

DDP’s Education team are seasoned educators and highly skilled investigative genetic genealogists, providing professional development opportunities to our internal volunteer group as well as experiential learning for those entering our field.

DDP Practicum

The DNA Doe Project Practicum offers experienced genetic genealogists the opportunity to apply their skills and learn our investigative techniques on an active Jane or John Doe case.

Offered once or twice each year, this program has an exam-based, competitive application process. Click here to see the questions and answers from the most recent practicum.

In addition to a solid practical understanding of DNA and genetic genealogy, participants need to be able to use web-based platforms and video conferencing tools during this all-remote, semi-synchronous 4-week program.

Internships

DDP works in partnership with certificate programs to provide practical investigative genetic genealogy experiences for their graduates.

Professional Development

The tools, techniques, and ethical considerations in investigative genetic genealogy are evolving rapidly. That’s why DDP supports its volunteer base with ongoing professional development opportunities.

Our volunteers already have a proven track record when they join DDP, but there is always more to learn. Regular volunteer meetings and retreats create time and space to learn from each other and experts in the field.

For Beginners

We get a lot of inquiries from people interested in learning investigative genetic genealogy who don’t yet have the experience to join DDP as a volunteer or to participate in our other education programs. It can be hard to know where to start.

Our Education team has curated a list of online resources, most of which are free, to get you started. The downloadable pdf features live links.

When DDP got its start in 2017, everyone who joined our founders in their quest to resolve Jane and John Doe cases using genetic genealogy was self-taught. They had been using the techniques to wrangle with family history mysteries – unknown parentage, adoptee searches, and locating relatives they didn’t know they had. Together, this group invented investigative genetic genealogy, creating the protocols and practices that we still use today. Our practitioners come from a broad range of professional backgrounds because no degree is needed to do what we do.