Matthew Wood

Bio for Matthew Wood
Matthew R. Wood, PhD is the Laboratory Director of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Laboratory. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from Rutgers University–Newark identifying novel psychoactive substances using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry.  Matthew has extensive experience in forensic drug analysis and toxicology. He enjoys puzzle-solving in his spare time, and he is particularly drawn to the challenge of identifying emerging drugs, an interest reflected in his work and on-going research collaborations with several forensic science programs.

Talk Abstract for Matthew Wood
Testing for novel psychoactive substances (NPS) remains a significant challenge for forensic and toxicological laboratories due to the rapid and continual modification of their chemical structures to evade regulation and routine drug screening. Illicit manufacturers frequently alter molecular formulas, creating new compounds not included in standard testing panels and forcing laboratories into an ongoing “cat-and-mouse” dynamic. Analytical confirmation is further complicated by limited access to certified reference materials, the high cost and incompleteness of mass spectral libraries, and forensic industry requirements for multiple confirmatory tests. Seized drug samples often contain complex mixtures with highly variable composition and concentration, even within a single package, necessitating robust chromatographic separation and careful interpretation. This presentation highlights notable novel psychoactive substances and adulterants identified in seized drug samples and discusses the analytical challenges they present.