Forensic chemist III at NMS Labs
Alexis Blankenship, who earned a chemistry degree at Randolph, began her career at the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab.
“I didn’t choose a major until the night before freshman year, and that’s still not what I’m doing. I chose biology then,” said Blankenship, who eventually switched to chemistry. “That’s the wonderful thing about Randolph. You can take so many classes and find what interests you.”
She joined NMS in 2016, first in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, then in her hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where her primary focus is controlled substance identification.
She recently had the opportunity to speak about her research in illicit and counterfeit tablet trends at the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education’s 2025 Current Trends in Seized Drug Analysis Symposium.
Tags: chemistry
