Michael Warren, Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor; Director, C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory
Interests: Forensic identification, skeletal trauma, human cremation.
Programs: Biological Anthropology; Forensic Anthropology
Personal Statement
Warren's areas of interest include forensic identification and trauma analysis, human variation, and the relationship between the environment and body form. His current project is a collaborative effort with Dr. David Daegling, examining the mechanism of trauma in rib and mandibular fractures. Warren recently co-authored an introductory textbook on forensic anthropology. As both a UF graduate student and faculty member, Warren has been contributing to the Pound Lab’s casework since 1991. He has also assisted with personal identification in mass disasters, and helped to identify, and document war crimes against, the victims of genocide in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo.
Forensic Anthropology at the University of Florida
The Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida offers graduate study in Biological Anthropology. Within biological anthropology at Florida there are several sub-specialties that students may pursue, including paleoanthropology, primate behavior and ecology, skeletal biology, bone chemistry, functional morphology, human genetic variation, and forensic anthropology.
Graduate students interested in forensic anthropology may pursue coursework in biostatistics, zooarchaeology, water and soil sciences, human gross and functional anatomy, biomechanics, radiology, osteology, as well as human evolution and genetic variation. Students are also offered a hands-on approach to human identification and trauma analysis at the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory. The mission of the laboratory is to provide services to Florida’s Medical Examiners and various law enforcement agencies. The Department of Anthropology and the laboratory also play an important role in educating and training the next cohort of professional forensic anthropologists. Graduate students work closely with the lab’s director, Dr. Michael Warren (mwarren@ufl.edu) in all aspects of casework including the search and recovery of human remains at clandestine sites, trauma analysis, and video superimposition techniques. Collaboration between the laboratories and the Departments of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Water and Soil Sciences, Entomology, and the College of Health and Human Performance maximizes graduate student research opportunities.
Students interested in pursuing the MA or Ph.D. in biological anthropology with an emphasis in forensic methodology must first apply to the graduate program in Anthropology. Graduate Applications may be found at http://gradschool.rgp.ufl.edu/index.html. For the Department’s graduate application instructions go to: http://www.anthro.ufl.edu/graduate_instructions.shtml. If you have questions about the application process, contact Juanita Bagnall at (352) 392-2253, extension 207. A letter of intent is required of all applicants and should include a specific interest in physical or biological anthropology with an emphasis on applied skeletal biology or forensic anthropology. The applicant must meet the minimum admissions criteria established by the Anthropology Department and the Graduate School, and successful candidates demonstrate excellence through their grade point averages (>3.5 on average), GRE scores (1320 on average), publications, and/or presentations at regional or national meetings. The forensic concentration is highly competitive with 5% or fewer applicants receiving offers of admission. Successful applicants usually have a BA or MA in anthropology with a concentration in physical anthropology, although previous students have come from backgrounds in the forensic sciences, zoology, and biology. Prospective students are encouraged to visit the University of Florida prior to the admission deadline and should arrange their trip with Dr. Warren directly. Additional information about the University of Florida and graduate studies in anthropology can be obtained at www.ufl.edu and http://www.anthro.ufl.edu/.
Office
C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory
2033 Mowry Road
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32610
Phone Number: (352) 273-8320
Fax Number: (352) 273-8319
Email: mwarren (@ufl.edu)
Webpage: http://www.poundlab.org
