Education

• Ph.D., Anthropology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2021.
• M.A., Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016.
• B.S., Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks 2010.

Biography

My area of specialization is biological anthropology. Within this subdiscipline my research and expertise is in dental anthropology, bioarchaeology, human adaptation and variation, Iron Age populations in continental, and non-continental Europe, paleopathology and forensic anthropology. A principal area of my research involves a bicultural approach to the spread of the so-called Celts throughout the Iron Age in continental and non-continental Europe, with a concentration on dental morphometric data to understand population origins, biological affinities, and migration. Some  of my recent projects also involve regional and temporal analysis of these populations and variations in the distribution of the archaeologically derived Celtic ethnic identity and material culture. Variations in the distribution of Celtic artifacts, the Hallstatt and La Tène material cultures, and populations possessing these artifacts are also an area of focus in my recent research.

My dissertation utilized dental morphometric data from numerous regional Celtic populations throughout continental Europe and the UK to examine the underlying biological diversity among presumed Celtic populations and processes driving the observed variation in artifacts, art styles and burial practices throughout the core and expansion regions (i.e., where the Hallstatt and La Tène material cultures initially developed versus those into which they subsequently spread during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC).

I have assembled a large database of dental and osseous morphometric variants, recorded from Iron Age groups in both continental and non-continental Europe, from institutions throughout these regions.

I am currently working on a database of variations in the observed, or recorded, art style, burial practice, archaeological, genetic and linguistic diversity among populations possessing Hallstatt and La Tène artefacts and/or Celtic language(s).

These data, along with the dental morphometric, will help to provide a greater understanding of the extent of regional diversity and cultural autonomy among diverse populations throughout Iron Age Europe; and provide more information into the extent of regional population variation in Europe during this period.

Because of this research, I am in the process of authoring several peer-reviewed articles in professional journals, and several presentations at regional, national and international meetings.

I also have a background in prehistoric archaeology, having been involved in numerous sessions of archaeological fieldwork in the US and Europe.

Teaching:

I have been teaching at UAA since 2021. Prior to teaching at UAA I assisted in teaching several courses at the university level at Liverpool John Moores University.

I have taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, including: Introduction to Biological Anthropology, Paleoanthropology, Human Osteology, Analytical Techniques, Dental Anthropology, and forensic anthropology at the institutions above. In teaching, I  incorporate a four-field approach, where appropriate, to present a more holistic picture of anthropology as a whole. 

Beyond teaching, I have, and at present am advising, mentoring and serving as a external examiner on the graduate committees for several students in the U.S. and the UK.

Research Interests

• Biological anthropology
• Bioarchaeology
• Dental anthropology
• Human skeletal biology
• Hominin origins and affinities
• Human adaptation and variation
• Human paleopathology
• Iron Age continental and non continental Europe
• Celtic populations and migration(s) of these groups

Publications

For a current list of publications and research, see my ResearchGate site: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mallory-Anctil