Director of the Forensic Anthropology Center
Professor of Anthropology
Office: Grady Early Building 111, 1921 Old RR 12
Phone: (512) 245-1945
Email: dwescott@txstate.edu
Website - FACTS
Website - Academia
Research and Teaching Interests: Forensic anthropology, bone biomechanics, human skeletal variation, bioarchaeology
I am a biological anthropologists with a research focus on developing and testing forensic anthropological methods for reconstructing biological profiles, trauma patterns, and the post mortem interval. I also use long bone biomechanics to reconstruct activity patterns and behavior in past populations, and test hypotheses regarding changes in human skeletal morphology due to evolutionary and secular forces. I am also a dedicated teacher and mentor with experience directing undergraduate and graduate (MA, MS, PhD) students.
Recent Publications
Hassan, Bashar, Adam D. Sylvester, Daniel J. Wescott, Deborah L. Cunningham, Adekunle Elegbede, Paul N. Manson, and Michael P. Grant. 2025. An introduction to the orbital buttress. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 155(4):780r-783e.
Mickleburgh, Hayley L., Noemi Procopio, Andrea Bonicelli, Nengi Ogbanga, Giulia Sguazzi, Rogier van der Hulst, Kennedy Doro, Timothy P. Gocha, Daniel J. Wescott, Lisette M. Kootker, Saskia T.M. Ammer. 2025. The Mass Grave Project: Advancing mass grave investigation through an interdisciplinary program of actualistic taphonomic research. P.M. Barone, WJM. Groen (eds), Forensic Archaeology and New Multidisciplinary Approaches, Soil Forensics, Springer, pp. 11-134. [invited]
Connor, Melissa, William Belcher, Gretchen Dabbs, Anthony Falsetti, Shari Forbes, Timothy P. Gocha, Jane Harris, Sheree Hughes-Stamm, Ginesse Listi, Sophia Mavroudas, Austin Polonitza, Sophai I. Reck, Dawnie Steadman, Jodie Ward, Daniel J. Wescott, An-Di Yim, Katie Zedjik. 2024. From a small plot in Knoxville to a world-wide footprint: an overview of human decomposition facilities. Forensic Anthropology 7(4):267-281.
Gignac, Paul M, Valeria Aceves, Stephanie Baker, Jessica J. Barnes, Joshua Bell, Doug Boyer, Deborah Cunningham5, Francesco De Carlo, Morgan H. Chase, Karly E. Cohen1, Matthew Colbert, Theresa De Cree, Juan Daza, Lindsay Dougan, Valerie DeLeon, Franklin Duffy, ChristiAna Dunham, Catherine M. Early, Dave R. Edey, Scott Echols, Scott A. Eckley, Kelsey Fenner, Katheryn P. Franklin, Brent Gila, Freya E. Goetz, Jaimi A. Gray, Devora Gleiber, Alexander S. Hall, Romy Hanna, Markus Hannula, William Harris, Jennifer J. Hill, Casey M. Holliday, Kelsi Hurdle, Aditi Jayarajan, Jaimi Knaub, Amanda Krause, Alice Leavey, Emily J. Lessner, Leigha Lynch, Murat Maga, Jessica Maisano, Kristin Marsh, Mike Marsh, Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, John Misiaszek, April I. Neander, Haley D. O'Brien, Selby Olson, Eldon Panigot, Susan M. Motch Perrine, Teresa J. Porri, Andre Ramsey, Adam Rountrey, Gary Scheiffele, Edward L. Stanley, Stuart Stock, Claire E. Terhune, Dana Thomas, Camilo Andres Linares Vargas, Megan Veltri, Jason M. Warnett, Akinobu Watanabe, Emily A. Waters, Roger Wende, Daniel J. Wescott, Charles B. Withnell, Scott Whittaker, Zoë E. Wilbur, Jordan Wilson, Manon Wilson, Julie Winchester, Christopher M. Zobek. 2024. The role of networks to overcome large-scale challenges in tomography: The non-clinical tomography users research network. Tomography of Materials and Structures 5:100031.
Sylvester, Adam D., Wojciech Zbijewski, Gengxin Shi, Lauren Meckel, Elaine Y. Chu, Deborah L. Cunningham, Daniel J. Wescott. 2024. Macroscopic differences in adult femora are linked to body mass index. Anatomical Record 307(8):2846-2857. doi:10.1002/ar.25397.
Kootker, Lisette M., Saskia T.M. Ammer, Daniel J. Wescott, Gareth R. Davies, and Hayley L. Mickleburgh. 2024. Sr-Pb isotope difference in pre- and post-burial human bone, teeth, and hair keratin: implications for isotope forensics. International Journal of Legal Medicine 138(1):151-164. doi: 10.1007/s00414-023-02976-5.
Sylvester, Adam D., Daniel J. Wescott, Deborah L. Cunningham, Devora S. Gleiber. 2023. Variation in talus shape and trabecular structure between obese and non-obese Americans. Journal of Forensic Sciences 68(2):369-381.
Chong, Mavis Date, Sandra Sheehan, Jessica Battaglia, Daniel J. Wescott, Jeanette Wallin. 2023. Comparative study of rapid DNA versus conventional methods on compromised bones. Forensic Science International: Genetics 63:102825.
Bonicelli, Andrea, Hayley L. Mickleburgh, Alberto Chighine, Emanuela Locci, Daniel J. Wescott, Noemi Procopio. 2022. Application of the ForensOMICS approach to post-mortem interval estimation in a controlled taphonomic experiment. eLife 11:e83658
Bonicelli, Andrea, William Cheung, Sheree Hughes, Daniel J. Wescott, Noemi Procopio. 2022. Preliminary investigation of the effect of maceration procedures on bone metabolome and lipidome. Metabolites 12(11):1020.
Mavroudas, Sophia R. and Daniel J. Wescott, 2022. Outdoor taphonomic research facilities. Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, 3rd ed, Volume 4, Pages 44-54 [invited].
Nienaber, Coen, Shari L. Forbes, Melissa Connor, Daniel J. Wescott, Jodie Ward, Dawnie W. Steadman, Kerri L. Colman. 2022. Forensic Taphonomy. Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, 3rd ed, Volume 2, Pages 700-711 [invited].
Mickleburgh, Hayley L., Daniel J. Wescott, Sarah Gluschitz, M. Victor Klinkenburg. 2022 Exploring the use of actualistic forensic taphonomy in the study of (forensic) archaeological human burials: an actualistic experiment research programme at the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University (FACTS). In: C.J. Knüsel, E.M.J. Schotsmans (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Archaeothanatology, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 542-562.
Doro, Kennedy O., Amar M. Kolapkar, Carl-Georg Banks, Daniel J. Wescott, Hayley L. Mickleburgh. 2022. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography imaging of buried human remains in simulated mass and individual graves. Frontiers in Environmental Science, Advances in the Application of Multi-Dimensional Geophysical Surveys in Earth and Environmental Sciences 10.3389/fenvs.2022.882496.
Doro, Kennedy O., Amar M. Kolapkar, Carl-Georg Banks, Daniel J. Wescott, Hayley L. Mickleburgh. 2022. Geophysical imaging of buried human remains in simulated mass and single graves: experimental design and results from pre-burial to six months after burial. Forensic Science International 335:111289
Alfsdotter, Clara, Megan Veltri, Crystal Crabb, and Daniel J. Wescott. 2022. An actualistic taphonomic study of human decomposition in coffins. Bioarchaeology International 6(3):190-215.
Gocha, Timothy P., Sophia R. Mavroudas, and Daniel J. Wescott. 2022.The Texas State Donated Skeletal Collection at the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State. Forensic Sciences 2:7-19 [invited]
Mickleburgh, Hayley L., Ed Schwalbe, Maruka Mizukami, Federica Sellitto, Sefora Starace, Daniel J. Wescott, David O. Carter, Noemi Procopio. 2021. The human bone proteome before and after decomposition: implications for forensic research. Journal of Proteome Research 20(5):2533-2546.
Aitkenhead-Peterson, Jacqueline A., James P. Fancher, Michael B. Alexander, Michelle D. Hamilton, Joan A. Bytheway, Daniel J. Wescott. 2021. Predicting postmortem interval for human cadavers in a sub-tropical climate using UV-Vis-near infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Forensic Sciences 66(1):190-201.
Pesko, Bogumila K., Stefan Weidt, Mark McLaughlin, Daniel J. Wescott, Hazel Torrance, Karl Burgess, Richard Burchmore. 2020. Post-mortomics: the potential of untargeted metabolomics to highlight markers for time since death. OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology 24(11),10.1089/omi.2020.0084.
Baide, Alexis, Charlie Farber, Mark Krimmer, Daniel Wescott, and Dmitry Kurouski. 2020. Non-invasive post-mortem interval diagnostics using a hand-held Raman spectrometer. Forensic Chemistry 20, 100270.
Kootker, Lisette M., Isabella C.C. von Holstein, Jelle Broeder, Daniel J. Wescott, Gareth R. Davies, Hayley L. Mickleburgh. 2020. The effects of decomposition and environment on antemortem H-Sr-Pb isotope compositions and degradation of human scalp hair: an actualistic experiment. Forensic Science International 312,110336.
Current Research Projects
Increasing Knowledge of the Effect of Body Size, Age, and Health on Bone Structural Properties Using High Resolution Computed Tomography and Histology. Collaborators: Lauren Meckel, Sophia Mavroudas, Deborah Cunningham.
Forensic Fire Death Investigation: Cross-Disciplinary Research and Performance Standards Development for Structural, Vehicle, and Open-Pit Fire Scenes. Collaborators: Steve Seddig, Tim Gocha, Sophia Mavroudas, Nick Herrmann
Forensic investigation of mass graves: an actualistic study for advancing methods of detection, excavation, documentation, and interpretation of mass graves. Collaborators: Hayley Mickleburgh, Tim Gocha, Noemi Procopio, Kennedy Doro
Body mass estimation using bone micro- and macro-structure: a practical approach using CT imaging and computer analysis [NIJ 2020-R2-CX-0048]. Collaborators: Deborah Cunningham, Adam Sylvester, Wojciech Zbijewski, Lauren Mecke