Carolyn Isaac, PhD – Laboratory Director
Carolyn Isaac is a biological anthropologist that specializes in forensic anthropology. Her main research focus is the histological progression and stages of cranial fracture healing and how this can be used to determine the age of an injury. The goal of this project is to generate baseline empirical data on the cells and tissues involved in fracture healing at different stages and to provide forensic practitioners with a method to estimate the age of a healing fracture. Such estimations can aid in determining whether an injury contributed to death, whether there are multiple injuries of various ages indicting a pattern of abuse, and may directly contribute to the manner of death classification (homicide, suicide, accident, natural, or indeterminate).
Todd Fenton, PhD, D-ABFA
Todd Fenton is Chair and Professor of Anthropology. Dr. Fenton is a physical anthropologist who specializes in forensic anthropology. His interests focus on the analysis of skeletal trauma as well as techniques in human identification. He recently completed his third National Institute of Justice funded research project titled “Building a Science of Adult Cranial Fracture”. His NIJ grants have focused on understanding the biomechanics of cranial fracture, including fracture initiation, propagation and patterning. Additionally, the effects of energy level, interface compliance, impactor shape, and head drops versus entrapped impacts have been investigated. In addition to his forensic work, Dr. Fenton has ongoing, long-term collaborative bioarchaeological projects in Italy. In 2015 he began analysis of the skeletons from the Roman and medieval town of Rusellae. Dr. Fenton is also the anthropologist for the Impero Project, a Roman excavation in southern Tuscany directed by Dr. Sandro Sebastiani of the University at Buffalo. Dr. Fenton is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences; and Executive Secretary and Member of the NIST OSAC Anthropology Subcommittee.
Joseph Hefner, PhD, D-ABFA
Joseph Hefner is an associate professor specializing in forensic anthropology and quantitative methods. His interests in forensic anthropology include the estimation of ancestry using macromorphoscopic (cranial nonmetric) traits and cranial and postcranial metrics. The focus of Dr. Hefner’s research is the standardization and quantification of macromorphoscopic traits with robust and appropriate classification statistics, including data mining techniques and machine learning methods. One aspect of this type of research is the seemingly endless need for more data. To that end, Dr. Hefner is currently establishing the Forensic Macromorphoscopic Databank at Michigan State University, with a grant provided by the National Institute of Justice. Dr. Hefner’s professional activities center on forensic anthropological method and theory and statistical approaches to biological anthropology, including biodistance analysis, categorical data analysis, geometric morphometric methods, data excavation, and parametric/nonparametric classification statistics.
Jerielle Cartales, M.S.
Jerielle is a forensic anthropology PhD student under Dr. Isaac, focusing on fall-related trauma. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon and her M.Sc. in Forensic Anthropology from the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland.
Hailee Desrosier, M.S.
Hailee is a biological anthropology doctoral student with a focus in forensic anthropology. She currently works under her advisor Dr. Isaac. Hailee earned her B.S. in Biology and Anthropology from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA in 2022, and earned her M.S. in Human Skeletal Biology from New York University in New York City, NY in 2024. Her interests include fracture healing time, subadult trauma, and histological approaches to forensic anthropological methods.
Rhian Dunn, M.S.
Rhian is a biological anthropology doctoral candidate with a focus in forensic anthropology. She is working with Dr. Hefner. She earned her B.A. in Biological Anthropology from University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2016 and her M.S. in Forensic and Biological Anthropology from Mercyhurst University in 2018.
Alexis Goots, M.A.
Alex is a PhD candidate working with Dr. Fenton as a graduate assistant on cranial blunt force trauma research. She earned her BS in Anthropology from The Ohio State University in 2014, and her MA in Anthropology from Texas State University in 2016. Her research interests include forensic questions related to migration, in both modern and archaeological contexts, as well as human rights issues.
Savannah Holcombe, M.S.
Savannah is a biological anthropology doctoral student with a focus in forensic anthropology. She is working with Dr. Hefner as a graduate assistant researching human variation and biocultural influences on skeletal anatomy. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2021 and her M.Sc. in Forensic and Biological Anthropology from Mercyhurst University, in Erie, PA in 2023.
Amelia Konda, M.A.
Amelia is a biological anthropology doctoral student with a focus in forensic anthropology. She currently works under her advisor, Dr. Hefner. She earned her B.S. in Anthropology and History from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC, in 2021 and her M.A. in Anthropology from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, in 2023.
Holly Long, M.S.
Holly is a doctoral student in biological anthropology with a specialization in forensic anthropology working under her adviser, Dr. Hefner. She received her A.S. from Cottey College (Nevada, MO) in 2017, her B.S. in forensic anthropology from Washburn University (Topeka, KS) in 2019, and her M.S. in forensic anthropology from Mercyhurst University (Erie, PA) in 2022. She attended a bioarchaeology field school in Roncesvalles, Spain in 2019 and taught at a field school in Huarmey, Peru in 2022.
Monica Nares
Monica is a PhD student whose research interests include Forensic Anthropology, Human Osteology, Ancestry, and Personal Identification.
Alexis VanBaarle, M.S.
Alexis is a biological anthropology doctoral student with a focus in forensic anthropology. She works with Dr. Isaac focusing on the application of AI to radiographic medical IDs as well as the histological assessment of time since fracture. She earned her B.A. in Biology and Anthropology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX in 2021 and her M.S. in Human Anatomy from Des Moines University in Des Moines, IA in 2023.