Anna Willis

Anna is a bioarchaeologist whose research focuses on ancient human skeletal remains from archaeological sites in mainland Southeast Asia. She has participated in collaborative, multidisciplinary research projects in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar. Using an osteobiographical approach, she examines how oral pathology, trauma, infectious diseases, and metabolic diseases have influenced the social identities and lifeways of ancient people within the context of their natural and cultural environment.

Her ARC DECRA project involves applying stable isotope analysis to study ancient subsistence strategies and human behaviour during the adoption and intensification of agriculture.

Anna supervises JCU students with colleagues from the College of Arts, Society, and Education (CASE) and colleagues with related research interests in the College of Medicine and Dentistry (CMD). She actively supports her students in developing their research profiles through conference attendance and co-publication.

Anna teaches forensic archaeology and evolution. Her research interests and background directly complement her teaching, and she emphasises a conscientious and ethical approach to human skeletal analysis to understand the lived experience of people, whether they are from the present or the past.