James T. Pokines, PhD

Associate Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology

James Pokines
617.638.4158
72 E. Concord St Housman (R)

Biography

James T. Pokines, Ph.D., D.-.A.B.F.A., is an Associate Professor in the Forensic Anthropology Program, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. He is also the Forensic Anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and analyzes all unknown bone cases in that state. His prior experience includes twelve years as a Forensic Anthropologist and Manager at the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, recovering and analyzing the remains of missing servicemembers from past conflicts. His field experience includes excavations in 18 countries, including modern forensic scenes in multiple countries, Tiwanaku sites in Bolivia, a Classical site in Egypt, modern scavenger dens in Kenya, and Paleolithic sites in Spain, France, and Jordan. He has ongoing research in the latter country, including the natural faunal trap site Wadi Zarqa Ma’in 1 and multiple Paleolithic sites in the Azraq basin, His taphonomic interests include scavenger gnawing and dispersal, subaerial weathering, and other environmental effects to bone, and he also researches zooarchaeology, paleoecology, and Paleolithic archaeology. He received his B.A. degree in Anthropology and Archaeology at Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and is a former Vice President of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and a current Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Other Positions

  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students), Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Education

  • University of Chicago, PhD
  • University of Chicago, MA
  • Cornell University, BA

Classes Taught

  • GMSFA700
  • GMSFA703
  • GMSFA800
  • GMSFA802
  • GMSFA807
  • GMSFA808

Publications

  • Published on 8/11/2022

    Hill MA, Pokines JT. Comparative analysis of fetal pig decomposition processes in burials of variable depths and wrapping. J Forensic Sci. 2022 Nov; 67(6):2192-2202. PMID: 35957506.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 6/1/2022

    Pokines, J. T., and A. Blanton. Experimental formation of coffin wear on bone. Forensic Anthropology. 2022.

  • Published on 6/1/2022

    Pokines, J. T., J. A. Beller, A. S. A. al-Souliman, O. Samawi, C. J. H. Ames, C. E. Cordova, and A. Nowell . Radiometric dating of Wadi Zarqa Ma’in 1, a limestone sinkhole natural faunal trap near the Dead Sea, using data from test pitting and a portable coring system. Near Eastern Archaeology. 2022.

  • Published on 1/25/2022

    Pokines JT. Preliminary study of gull (Laridae) scavenging and dispersal of vertebrate remains, Shoals Marine Laboratory, Coastal New England. J Forensic Sci. 2022 May; 67(3):1149-1156. PMID: 35076105.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 1/1/2022

    Pokines, J. T., C. Kryza-Gersch, and V. S. Reed. Forensic anthropological analysis of a skull sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Seventeenth Century. 2022.

    Read at: Custom
  • Published on 1/1/2022

    Yucha, J. M., A. R. Klales, E. J. Bartelink, and J. T. Pokines . Manual of Forensic Taphonomy, ed. by J. T. Pokines, E. N. L’Abbé, and S. A. Symes. Contemporary cultural alterations to bone: Anatomical, ritual, and trophy. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 2022; 251-293.

  • Published on 1/1/2022

    Schneider, C., J. T. Pokines, E. N. L-Abbe, and B. Pobiner . Manual of Forensic Taphonomy, ed. by J. T. Pokines, E. N. L’Abbé, and S. A. Symes. Reptile taphonomy. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 2022; 667-693.

  • Published on 1/1/2022

    Pokines, J. T., and C. Spiegel . Manual of Forensic Taphonomy, ed. by J. T. Pokines, E. N. L’Abbé, and S. A. Symes. Subaerial weathering and other terrestrial surface taphonomic processes. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 2022; 403-441.

  • Published on 1/1/2022

    Pokines, J. T., and M. M. E. Jans . Manual of Forensic Taphonomy, ed. by J. T. Pokines, E. N. L’Abbé, and S. A. Symes. Laboratory and field methods forensic taphonomy. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 2022; 717-731.

  • Published on 1/1/2022

    Pokines, J. T., and N. D. Higgs. Manual of Forensic Taphonomy, ed. by J. T. Pokines, E. N. L’Abbé, and S. A. Symes. Marine environmental alterations to bone. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 2022; 193-249.

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