Kate Lesciotto

Dr. Kate Lesciotto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology & Anatomy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center's College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences. She is also affiliated with the Center for Anatomical Sciences. Her research focuses on forensic anthropology, including sex estimation from skeletal remains, biomechanics of skeletal trauma, and the legal admissibility of forensic evidence under the Daubert standard.

Education: BS in Biological Science/Zoology (Colorado State University), MS in Forensic and Biological Anthropology (Mercyhurst University), PhD in Anthropology (Pennsylvania State University), and JD in Law (Washington University St. Louis).

Research Interests: Forensic anthropology's intersections with legal standards, development of sex estimation methodologies using statistical models, and improving interpretations of blunt force trauma in medicolegal contexts. She actively consults for Texas counties and trains law enforcement.

Grants: Currently leads a National Science Foundation-funded project on sex estimation (2022–2025). Articles focus on methodological advancements in forensic anthropology and legal implications of expert testimony.

Labs/Teams: Works with anatomical sciences and forensic research groups at UNTHSC, contributing to both academic and applied projects.