Centre for Forensic Anthropology

02/09/2026

Congratulations to PhD student Madi Edwards who presented her research at the FASE Symposium last week in Romania!

Madi presented her research “Preliminary Development of Forensic Anthropological S*x Estimation Standards for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” highlighting the importance of having population specific standards.

With this presentation concludes the end of a very busy conference week for our students and staff!

02/09/2026

Dr. Zuzana Obertová presented an update on the FDHIC project at the FASE - Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe Symposium last week!

Zuzana introduced the project and the concepts behind the study idea. It was excellent to have the opportunity to present our preliminary findings and discuss the project to date!

01/09/2026

A huge congratulations to CFA student Christina Shanley on receiving the Humans MDPI Outstanding Student Award following her presentation at the EAA - European Anthropological Association 24th Congress!

31/08/2026

Congratulations to PhD student Christina Shanley
on presenting her research at the 24th EAA - European Anthropological Association Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

Christina presented her research, “Health and lifestyle in the Nabataean Kingdom: A paleopathological analysis of primary burials from Hegra, Saudi Arabia (~100 BCE–200 CE)”, highlighting important insights into health and lived experiences in the ancient Nabataean Kingdom.

30/08/2026

Congratulations to Gabbie Boisseau, who recently presented her research at the 24th EAA - European Anthropological Association Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

Gabbie presented her work, “Anthropological insights into a plague site from Europe’s first permanent lazaret,” sharing research that contributes to our understanding of past populations

28/08/2026

Our first-year masters students have been practicing biological sampling techniques across their last two molecular biology practicals.

In Prac 1 students explored tissue sampling and maceration, before moving on to Prac 2, where they sampled bone and bone marrow for DNA analysis.

26/08/2026

Some of the important work undertaken by CFA Adjunct Professor Murray K. Marks - Prof. Franklin also contributed during a recent Sabattical visit to the KCRFC.

The bones were found at a home in Roane County on July 10.

26/08/2026

Happy (belated) National Science Week!

Last week the CFA participated in the Australian & New Zealand Forensic Science Society - WA Branch SRG Careers Night! As part of the event, our team hosted a stall to connect with students, sharing insights into studying and careers in forensic anthropology.

Dr Ambika Flavel (CFA staff) also took part in the speed-dating network session. Giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about pathways into the field.

21/08/2026

As a part of the Biological Anthropology Research Seminar series hosted by ANU Biological Anthropology Prof. Daniel Franklin (CFA Director) will deliver an online talk via Zoom.

Prof. Franklin’s talk is entitled “Forensic Investigation of Victims of the Batavia Mutiny, 1629”.

Please see poster below for details, and register via the following link:
https://anu.zoom.us/meeting/register/mJf8XkfuSlaju-AfQgtIoQ

19/08/2026

We’re pleased to share our latest collaborative research, exploring whether increased staging complexity influences expert agreement in dental age estimation.

The study examines the consistency of expert assessments across different levels of staging complexity, providing valuable insights into the reliability and application of dental age estimation methods in forensic contexts.

Read the full article:

Dental age estimation (DAE) is a well-established procedure in current practice, and it is frequently required in forensic and legal investigations. This study aimed to evaluate the intra- and inter-observer reliability of dental development staging among forensic practitioners using two widely appl...