Michelle D. Hamilton

Michelle D. Hamilton is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas State University and a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (D-ABFA). She earned her PhD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2004) and specializes in forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and paleopathology. Her research examines trauma, taphonomy, postmortem interval, and dental anthropology in medicolegal and archaeological contexts.

As a consulting forensic anthropologist, she conducts crime scene recoveries, skeletal analyses, and trauma interpretations for law enforcement and medical examiners. She has instructed the FBI’s Human Remains Recovery Course since 1999. Publications address sharp-force trauma in maritime contexts, vulture scavenging patterns, ethical bioarchaeology, and neoplastic diseases in skeletal remains.

Dr. Hamilton teaches graduate courses including Laboratory Methods in Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology, and Field Methods. Her forensic casework involves collaborations with multiple agencies. Office: ELA 240.