Where Do Forensic Anthropologists Work?
Few forensic anthropologists work full time on legal cases. The vast majority of them are employed by academic and research institutions in a teaching or research capacity and work on legal cases on a consult basis. However, there are some agencies that hire full-time forensic anthropologists, including large medical examiner’s offices and federal/military forensic units. Examining Remains to Determine Identity and Trauma When working on a legal case, a typical day for a forensic anthropologist will consist of varied tasks. First, before the remains are examined, the scientist will familiarize himself with the known facts of the case. Because forensic anthropologists generally do not go to the crime scene, they rely on reports from law enforcement personnel regarding the conditions that the human remains were found in. Dependent upon the particular circumstances of the case, a forensic anthropologist may be asked to help identify the individual by age, race, sex or other characteristic
