Director
Dr. Alex J. Krotulski serves as a Director at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) working in the areas of forensic toxicology and forensic chemistry and is the Program Manager for NPS Discovery, the CFSRE’s drug early warning system and flagship program for the identification and characterization of new and emerging synthetic drugs. Dr. Krotulski is a chemist by training and practices as a forensic toxicologist. Dr. Krotulski holds faculty appointment and serves as the Program Director for the Thomas Jefferson University Master of Science in Forensic Toxicology (MSFT) program and is an Senior Associate Editor for the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.
Dr. Krotulski received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Analytical Chemistry from Temple University in 2019 following receipt of his Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from Arcadia University in 2015 and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Loyola University New Orleans in 2013. To date, Dr. Krotulski has authored or co-authored more than 95 peer-reviewed journal publications in the areas of forensic toxicology, clinical toxicology, and forensic chemistry, in addition to giving more than 150 scientific presentations across various areas of forensic science, mass spectrometry, and analytical chemistry, and has severed a chair, co-chair, or moderator for many workshops and webinars. Dr. Krotulski’s current research and casework focus heavily on aspects related to the detection and characterization of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and drug supplies, including studies that examine positivity, trends, metabolism, and effects through NPS Discovery’s intelligence, surveillance, monitoring, and response efforts.
For his contributions to forensic science, Dr. Krotulski was awarded the 2025 American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Outstanding Early Career Achievement in Forensic Science Award. For his contributions specifically to the field of forensic toxicology, Dr. Krotulski was awarded the inaugural 2021 Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) Research in Forensic Toxicology Award and the 2022 AAFS Toxicology Section’s Irving Sunshine Award for Outstanding Research by a Young Investigator. In addition, Dr. Krotulski was awarded the 2020 AAFS Young Forensic Scientists Forum (YFSF) Founder’s Award and the 2017 AAFS Toxicology Section’s Best Poster Award, and he has received honors for his Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFS) Noteworthy Article involving the synthetic cannabinoid 4F-MDMB-BINACA. In 2020, Dr. Krotulski was appointed to serve as the Guest Editor for the 2021 Special Issue in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.
Dr. Krotulski remains an active member of several professional organizations including the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS – Toxicology Section), The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), the International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs (ISSED), and the International Alliance of Clinical and Forensic Toxicologists (IACFT). Dr. Krotulski serves on various committees across these organizations, including SOFT’s NPS Committee and TIAFT's NPS Committee, and has completed various other roles with respect to planning committees, program committees, and working groups. For his expertise in high-resolution mass spectrometry and its applications, Dr. Krotulski has been designated as a “Thought Leader” with SCIEX.
Highlighted Publications:
- Joseph J. Palamar, Alex J. Krotulski. Medetomidine Infiltrates the US Illicit Opioid Market. JAMA. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.15992
- David Kuai, Liz Eneida Rivera Blanco, Alex Krotulski, Sara Walton, Max Denn, Byron Kelly, Emily Kiernan, Alaina Steck, Joseph Carpenter. Identification and Health Risks of an Emerging Means of Drug Use in Correctional Facilities. JAMA Open Network. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.51951
- Amy Nham, John N. Le, Shawn A. Thomas, Kimberly Gressick, Emily N. Ussery, Jean Y. Ko, R. Matt Gladden, Christina Mikosz, Joshua G. Schier, Alana Vivolo-Kantor, Maria Fiorillo, McKenna McMaster, Darlene Nolasco Magana, Livia Verklan-McInnes, Michael Wahl, Taylor Wood, Axel Adams, Alex Krotulski, Jordan Trecki, Ross Ellison, Roy Gerona, Ponni Arunkumar, Mojde Mir, Leslie M. Wise, Emma Betancourt, Kathleen Monty, Jhoanna Gulmatico, Angie Pojas, Ruchi Fitzgerald, Miao Hua. Overdoses Involving Medetomidine Mixed with Opioids — Chicago, Illinois, May 2024. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). 2025. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7415a1
- Alex J Krotulski, Dani C Mata, Christina R Smith, Kaitlyn B Palmquist-Orlando, Celia Modell, Svante Vikingsson, Michael T Truver. Advances in analytical methodologies for detecting novel psychoactive substances: a review. Journal of Analytical Toxicology. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkae098
- Alex J. Krotulski, Nancy Garibay, Donna Walther, Sara E. Walton, Amanda L.A. Mohr, Barry K. Logan, Michael H. Baumann. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the synthetic cannabinoid, 5F-MDMB-PICA, in male rats. Neuropharmacology. 2021. 199, 108800. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390821003555
- Alex J. Krotulski, Donna M. Papsun, Sara E. Walton, Barry K. Logan. Metonitazene in the United States – Forensic Toxicology Assessment of a Potent New Synthetic Opioid using Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Drug Testing and Analysis. 2021. 13 (10), 1697-1711. https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dta.3115
- Alex J. Krotulski, Brittany P. Chapman, Sarah J. Marks, Sam T. Ontiveros, Katharine Devin-Holcombe, Melissa F. Fogarty, Hai Trieu, Barry K. Logan, Roland C. Merchant, Kavita M. Babu. Fentanyl: a comparison of blood fentanyl concentrations and naloxone dosing after non-fatal overdose. Clinical Toxicology. 2021. 60 (2), 197-204. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15563650.2021.1948558
- Elan Barenholtz, Alex J. Krotulski*, Paul Morris, Nicole D. Fitzgerald, Austin Le, Donna M. Papsun, Barry K. Logan, William E. Hahn, Bruce A. Goldberger, Linda B. Cottler, Joseph J. Palamar. Online Surveillance of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Monitoring Reddit Discussions as a Predictor of Increased NPS-Related Exposures. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2021. 98, 103393. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095539592100298X
- Alex J Krotulski, Susan Jansen Varnum, and Barry K Logan. Sample Mining and Data Mining Combined Real-Time and Retrospective Approaches for Identification of Emerging Novel Psychoactive Substances. Journal of Forensic Science. 2019. 65 (2), 550-562. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1556-4029.14184
- Alex J Krotulski, Amanda LA Mohr, Sherri L Kacinko, Melissa F Fogarty, Sarah A Shuda, Francis X Diamond, William A Kinney, MJ Menendez, Barry K Logan. 4F-MDMB-BINACA: A New Synthetic Cannabinoid Widely Implicated in Forensic Casework. Journal of Forensic Science. 2019. 64 (5), 1451-1461. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1556-4029.14101
- For additional publications, visit: https://www.cfsre.org/resources/publications
