Carolyn Isaac, Ph.D., D-ABFA – 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, Ph.D., D-ABFA

Todd Fenton is a 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, Ph.D., 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.

Andrea Zurek-Ost, Ph.D.

Andrea Zurek-Ost is a biological anthropologist with specializations in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology. She is currently the Research Associate for the MOSAIC (Methods of Sex, Stature, Affinity and Age for Identification through Computational Standardization) project, funded through the National Institute of Justice. Her current research focuses on standardizing estimations of the biological profile through machine learning and artificial intelligence models. Her other ongoing research explores the applications of mass spectrometry-based approaches to the biological profile, forensic taphonomy, and isotopes. Andrea has assisted with forensic casework across the northeastern United States and Puerto Rico and has conducted bioarchaeological research in Iraqi Kurdistan, Spain, and Costa Rica.

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.

Natalie Clark, B.S.

Natalie is a biological anthropology doctoral student with a focus in forensic anthropology. She works as a graduate research assistant under Dr. Hefner and is interested in studying current methodological approaches used in estimating population affinity. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS, in 2022, then worked as a research assistant in Dr. Alexandre Tiriac’s developmental neuroscience lab at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, until 2025.

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.

Evin Hessel, M.S.

Evin is a biological anthropology doctoral student with a focus in forensic anthropology. She is working with Dr. Isaac on cranial fracture healing and cranial blunt force trauma analysis. She earned her B.S. In Biological Anthropology from Kent State University in Kent, OH in 2019 and her M.S. in Biology from The University of Akron in Akron, OH, in 2022.

Savannah Holcombe, M.S.

Savannah is a current doctoral student and research assistant in the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University working under her advisor, Dr. Joseph Hefner. Savannah earned her Master of Science in anthropology from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. Her research primarily focuses on cranial morphometrics and multivariate classification statistics. 

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 current doctoral student and teaching assistant at Michigan State University working under her advisor, Dr. Joseph Hefner. She received her Master of Science in anthropology from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. Her interests lie in Peruvian bioarchaeology, commingled remains, mass disasters, and human rights violations. Her dissertation will focus on excavation of a cemetery on the North coast of Peru. She runs a bioarchaeological field school session every summer in Peru alongside director Dr. Jose Peña.

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 currently a doctoral student and research assistant in the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University working under her advisor, Dr. Carolyn Isaac. She received her Master of Science in anatomy from Des Moines University in Des Moines, IA. Alexis’s research interests include anatomical human variation, skeletal histology, and trauma biomechanics.