Jennifer Byrnes

Jennifer Byrnes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Adjunct Associate Professor at the UNLV School of Medicine. Her work bridges biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology. She specializes in disability studies, paleopathology, and trauma analysis, particularly within historical institutional contexts such as poorhouses and cemeteries. Her research examines skeletal changes through disability theory to understand resilience and frailty in past populations.

Dr. Byrnes holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University at Buffalo (2015). She is a board-certified forensic anthropologist (D-ABFA since 2020) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Her research also explores forensic anthropology's role in addressing modern social issues, including homelessness and mental health through casework analysis.

Her recent work includes co-editing The Bioarchaeology of Impairment and Disability (2017) and The Marginalized in Death (2022), which highlight intersectional identity and structural vulnerability. She directs the Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Lab, focusing on radiographic identification and demographic trends in forensic casework.