The night-shift supervisor for the Clark County, Nevada, Grissom's specialty is forensic entomology. This has earned him the nickname "The Bug Man." He earned his Ph. D. in entomology from UCLA and has worked as a Clark County CSI for 15 years. For Grissom, being a forensic scientist is not merely a profession, it is an extension of his personality. He speaks for those who can't speak for themselves.
A CSI level 3 and co-supervisor of the night shift, Catherine previously worked as an exotic dancer to finance her education in Medical Science at Las Vegas University. Catherine is a single mother who has always managed to balance her time at work and her time at home. Her forensic specialty is blood spatter analysis.
David Hodges, a trace specialist with a BA from Williams College, was transferred to the team from the Los Angeles crime lab. He is known for having an unusually acute sense of smell, and is able to identify many chemical compounds by their odor alone. Hodges considers himself superior to the other laboratory technicians and strives to be like Grissom.
Nick moved to Vegas from Texas, mainly to escape the reputations of his parents—his father is a Texas State Supreme Court judge and his mother is a public defender. He has a natural empathy with the victims of the crimes he investigates, especially the children. This can sometimes cause problems, but Nick is a professional and manages to maintain his objectivity when necessary. His specialty is hair and fiber analysis.
Sarah first met Grissom at an entomology lecture when she was working on her master's degree at Berkeley, and he later personally requested she transfer to Las Vegas. Sara is a perfectionist driven by intellectual curiosity. She is often passionate about her cases, especially those that involve violence against women. Sara's forensics specialty is materials and element analysis.
Though his training is in forensic DNA analysis, Greg was recently promoted to a position with more field work. He is still learning the ropes of his new position, but learning fast. Greg has been branded as a geek or science nerd from his youth; he now takes pride in the title. Greg earned a degree in chemisty from Stanford, and his specialty is DNA analysis.
The chief medical examiner for the Las Vegas Police department. Doc Robbins has a medical degree from John Hopkins and training as a forensic pathologist. He is also a devoted family man with a wife and children. Doc Robbins walks with a limp due to his two prosthetic legs, which makes it difficult to go to crime scenes. As a result, he often sends his assistant, David, to collect the bodies and bring them to the morgue.
Brass spent 20 years working his way up to homicide detective in New Jersey. He transferred out of Homicide and out of New Jersey 10 years ago and came to Las Vegas. He eventually came to run the CSI department, more as an administrator than as an investigator.