As the Director of the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory and an Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island, Mr. Hilliard’s current responsibilities center on the analytical and educational missions of the State Crime Laboratory, which is located in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island. In addition to the administration of the State Crime Laboratory his work includes analysis of evidence and court testimony in the areas of fire debris analysis, hair & fiber analysis, DNA analysis and breath & blood alcohol analysis.

He has worked in the forensic field since 1980. He was appointed Acting Director of the State Crime Laboratory in 1992, and was appointed to the Director’s position in 1995 and has held a position in the University's College of Pharmacy as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences since 1994. In 1998 he joined with two other URI faculty members to propose the creation of a Forensic Science Partnership. The University funded the proposal in April 1999 and Dennis has served as a Co-Director of this successful Partnership since that time (CSI at URI). He is a member of several professional forensic organizations and is a Past President of the NorthEastern Association of Forensic Scientists (NEAFS).

Mr. Hilliard has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Rhode Island. He has also taken University of Virginia accredited courses offered at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Since 1977, Mr. Hilliard has lectured in over 150 program and class forums for law enforcement, law schools, primary and secondary education schools, legal and scientific organizations and community groups on CSI@URI which includes various topics in forensic sciences including the collection & preservation of physical evidence, fire debris analysis, forensic DNA analysis, breath alcohol analysis, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, standardized sobriety test procedures, the examination & use of scientific evidence in court and the role of the expert witness. Since 1991 he has coordinated and lectured in the University of Rhode Island Extension Division course BMS 101 and 102 Criminal Investigation: Scientific Evidence. This course is for law enforcement officers only and provides basic training in the documentation and processing of crime scenes. The course provides basic training in evidence collection procedures and latent print development and comparison.

Mr. Hilliard has testified over 100 times in the state and federal courts of Rhode Island. He has been qualified by the court as an expert witness to give opinion evidence in the fields of: fire debris analysis for accelerants, basic serology, DNA testing, hair & fiber analysis and blood alcohol.