British Association for Forensic Anthropology

Join us at the two-day event at Liverpool John Moores University, an opportunity to network, develop your CPD and receive an annual update on good practice and new research.

We welcome all interested in the latest developments, in particular practitioners, academics, researchers, technicians and students.

Tracing violence and decay: new perspectives in trauma and taphonomy

This year’s British Association for Forensic Anthropology (BAFA) Conference focuses on advancing the scientific understanding of trauma and taphonomy in forensic and archaeological contexts. The theme, Tracing Violence and Decay: New Perspectives in Trauma and Taphonomy, highlights the diverse ways in which physical evidence of trauma, decomposition, and environmental interaction can inform interpretations of past events. Covering topics from skeletal trauma analysis to postmortem processes and preservation, the conference aims to foster discussion on new analytical techniques, experimental approaches, and case applications, spanning contemporary human rights investigations to archaeological analyses. It brings together perspectives from field and laboratory research to theoretical and ethical discussions, advancing dialogue and innovation in the study of human remains.

Present your work or research

Abstract submission deadline has been extended until the 5th November 2025. To present a poster or a podium presentation, email your abstract to committee@bafa-uk.org, indicating your preference.

Programme highlights

Saturday, 29 November 2025

• Registration opens at 9:00 a.m.
• Keynote lecture from Dr Constantine Eliopoulos, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Anthropology, Liverpool John Moores University
• Poster and podium presentations
• BAFA AGM (Members)
• Evening social event (see below)

Sunday, 30 November 2025 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

CPD workshop “Trauma and taphonomy” (see below)

• Keynote lecture on projectile trauma, from Dr Tal Simmons, a forensic anthropologist with practitioner certification in the UK (ChFA) and US (D-ABFA).
• Keynote lecture on prehistoric evidence of violence including cut marks and dismemberment, from Prof Rick Schulting, Professor of Scientific and Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Oxford,
• Practical session featuring identification of taphonomic changes and trauma on bone, including projectile trauma (gunshot, projectile fragment, and shrapnel), a comparison of cut marks from a range of tools, peri-mortem vs post-mortem trauma, amputations and dismemberment evidence.

Conference Programme

See the full Winter Conference Programme here.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Constantine Eliopoulos

Dr Constantine Eliopoulos is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Anthropology, Liverpool John Moores University. His research has focused on biological profiling methods, skeletal pathology, trauma and taphonomy. More recently, he has also conducted research on the use of drones to locate graves and the use of 3D-printed bone models for teaching skeletal anatomy. He has presented his work in several conferences and published book chapters, as well as numerous journal articles. In addition to his academic duties, Dr Eliopoulos has been a practitioner in the field of human rights investigations for more than 25 years. He has conducted and directed numerous exhumations and anthropological examinations while working on mass graves projects for various organisations and agencies, including the Special Court for Sierra Leone (United Nations) and the non-governmental organisation Physicians for Human Rights. The locations of his work include Cyprus, Greece, Iraq, Kurdistan, Sierra Leone, Kuwait and Grenada.

Prof. Rick Schulting

Prof Rick Schulting’s research at the University of Oxford incorporates a range of scientific methods including stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating. Running in tandem is a long-standing interest in documenting skeletal evidence for violence in prehistoric communities and understanding its context, both through individual case studies and larger-scale syntheses aimed at achieving a population perspective. This includes a re-assessment of extant Neolithic skeletal collections, from the point of view of evidence for interpersonal violence. The edited volume titled ‘Sticks, Stones & Broken Bones: Neolithic Violence in a European Perspective’ (OUP), published in 2012, presents overviews of violent injuries on skeletons from various regions of Europe. Among the recent publications is the open-access paper in Antiquity, summarising the analysis of trauma in the skeletal assemblage from Charterhouse Warren. See also the press release: Somerset Bronze Age massacre victims likely cannibalised – BBC News

Dr. Tal Simmons

Dr. Tal Simmons is a forensic anthropologist with practitioner certification in the UK (ChFA) and US (D-ABFA). In addition to having a rich experience in teaching and academia (Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Central Lancashire, Northwestern University), Dr Simmons also worked for the Physicians for Human Rights in Bosnia, Cyprus and Sri Lanka in the 1990s, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Kosovo in 2000. She also served as a consultant for the International Committee of the Red Cross, helping to develop post-mortem database mortuary forms. Her research at VCU was varied, including direction of the skeletal and DNA analysis concerning the East Marshall Street Well Project (https://emsw.vcu.edu/. She also published on regional Virginia trace isotopic signatures in detention for purposes of geolocation, latent print degradation, using alternate light sources to detect human remains, and using the microbiome of bone to determine the postmortem interval of remains found on land and in water. Dr Simmons is currently a Member of the Steering Committee for the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition and a consultant to various NGO’s including Amnesty International. 

Registration

To participate, please register here:

https://forms.gle/4TUpGe4kB9zipVc3A

Deadline for registration: Wednesday 19th November 2025, 5pm.

Fees

• Members: £40
• Members, reduced price (students, unemployed and retired): £30
• Non-members: £50

You will receive a PayPal invoice by email.

The price for the workshop for non-members is £10, which will be added to the invoice.

JOIN BAFA: Become a member

The venue

The conference will be hosted at the LJMU Student Life Building, which is a 5-minute walk from Liverpool Lime Street train station.

For directions and parking information please visit Find us – getting to and around LJMU and Liverpool | Liverpool John Moores University.