Sean D. Tallman, PhD

Biography

Dr. Tallman (he/him) is a biological anthropologist specializing in forensic anthropology, human skeletal biology, forensic archaeology, and human variation. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, M.A. from the State University of New York, Binghamton, B.A. from the University of Washington, and A.A. from Shoreline Community College. Dr. Tallman is presently a 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Scholar in Public Health at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, where he teaches courses in human osteology, biological anthropology method and theory, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and human rights. Dr. Tallman has secondary appointments in the Department of Anthropology and Program in Archaeology at Boston University and teaches in BU’s Kilachand Honors College. He heads the Forensic and Bioanthropology Laboratory (FAB Lab) Group, teaches, and advises students the M.S. Program in Forensic Anthropology at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Also at BU, Dr. Tallman serves on the Faculty/University Councils, Faculty Council Equity and Inclusion Committee, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Review Committee, BUSM’s Diversity Steering Group, LGBTQIA+ Recruitment Committee, and the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee. Additionally, he is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) and Fellow in the Anthropology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). Dr. Tallman’s ongoing research examines: human skeletal biology and variation; sex and ancestry/population affiliation estimation and critique; human identification; population history and structure; forensic methods; CT scan data; secular change; diversity, inclusion, and mentorship in forensic anthropology; and queer, critical race, and embodiment theories in biological and forensic anthropology.

Dr. Tallman has held positions of Forensic Anthropologist, Osteologist, Archaeologist, Consultant, and Anthropology Instructor in various contexts. In particular, he served as a Forensic Anthropologist with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command’s Central Identification Laboratory (now the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency), where he contributed to the identification of numerous U.S. service members killed during past conflicts and led archaeological recovery missions in France, Germany, Hawaii, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vietnam. Additionally, he was Forensic Anthropologist with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT IX).

Dr. Tallman is an Associate Editor for the journals American Anthropologist, Forensic Anthropology, and Yearbook of Biological Anthropology.