Rate My Professor Angela Clark

Dr Angela Clark is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago, based at the Sir John Walsh Research Institute. She earned her BSc (Hons) in Forensic Science from the University of Central Lancashire, MSc (Hons) in Human Osteology and Palaeopathology from the University of Bradford, and PhD from the University of Otago. Clark's research specializations include bioarchaeology, with a focus on biosocial interactions influencing skeletal and dental developmental plasticity in response to physiological stress. She investigates human adaptability and variability across diverse communities and environments, particularly the physiological stress response in prehistoric populations during the intensification of agriculture. Internationally recognised in this field, she pioneers forensic bioarchaeology by integrating bioarchaeological methods with forensic science to enhance human identification processes. Her work also addresses culturally sensitive forensic practices, incorporating te ao Māori principles, especially in handling Indigenous human remains.

In her teaching role, Clark serves as academic coordinator for the Forensic Biology Summer School (FORB 201), offered by the Faculty of Dentistry, and contributes to papers such as BIOA 101 Introduction to Biological Anthropology, BIOA 201 Biocultural Human Skeletal Biology, BIOA 301 Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton, ANAT 250 and 331 Functional Anatomy, FORS 301 Analytical Forensic Biology, and HUBS 191 Human Body Systems. She received the 2016 Top Teacher Award for her coordination of the summer school. Clark is President of the Otago Branch of the Australia New Zealand Forensic Science Society and a Board Member of the New Zealand International Science Festival. In 2024, the New Zealand Police appointed her as the inaugural Agency Endorsed Representative for forensic anthropology on the Australia New Zealand Forensic Executive Committee (ANZFEC), where she advises on policies, standards, and decision-making within the Forensic Anthropology Technical Advisory Group. Key publications include 'Fundamentals to innovation: Forensic research and practice at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago' (New Zealand Dental Journal, 2024, co-authored with W. Duncan), and 'A decolonizing approach to digital 3D visualizations and 3D printed models of human skeletal remains as demonstrative evidence in court: A view from Aotearoa New Zealand' (Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2024, co-authored with S. Carrington and J. Matheson). She holds memberships in organizations such as the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, and the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society.