Jennifer Bengtson, Ph.D.

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, Michigan State University
• M.A. in Anthropology, Michigan State University
• B.A. in Anthropology, Minnesota State University-Moorhead

My teaching and research interests span two subfields within Anthropology: Archaeology and Biological Anthropology. Within archaeology, I am particularly interested in inter- and intra-community variation in experiences of gender, motherhood, and childhood in Mississippian and Oneota societies. My dissertation approached such issues from skeletal and mortuary perspectives, but I have recently focused more specifically on ceramic manufacture, decoration, and exchange as a means of studying identity in the past. I have done fieldwork in North Dakota, the Central Illinois River Valley, and southeast Missouri.

I also do research and teach courses in forensic anthropology-- the application of the techniques and methods of biological anthropology to questions of medicolegal significance. I am excited about my work with Southeast forensic chemist Dr. Jim McGill to develop new research projects that facilitate collaboration between anthropology and chemistry students. My students and I are also involved in forensic anthropology casework, working with law enforcement and lab partners to resolve decades-old cases involving unidentified human remains.

I regularly consult with local and regional law enforcement on cases involving human skeletal remains. I also provide guidance on cultural resource management issues in southeast Missouri to various state agencies.

Here are some links to information about unidentified human remains cases that my students and I have helped to resolve:

• SEMO Anthropology and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Team with Othram to Identify 1980 John Doe
• Lincoln County Sheriff's and Coroner's Office Team with Southeast Missouri State University and Othram to ID 1984 Human Remains
• Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office and Southeast Missouri State University Anthropology Partner with Othram to Identify 1981 Homicide Victim
• Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Teams with Southeast Missouri State University and Othram to Identify 2006 John Doe
• The McDonald County Sheriff's Office has Partnered with Othram and SEMO Anthropology to Identify Grace Doe
• SEMO Anthropologists and Othram Team to Identify 1979 Remains From a Missouri Farm