Dr. Mundorff is a biological anthropologist specializing in forensic anthropology and disaster victim identification management. Her research is directly informed by her experience as the Forensic Anthropologist for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, the City of New York (1999-2004), where she analyzed forensic cases and managed the World Trade Center and AA Flight 587 disaster mortuary operations. She assisted in mass fatality identification efforts resulting from the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand, and the Malaysia Airlines MH17 Plane Crash.

Her research concentrates on the scientific process and management aspects of both locating and identifying the deceased from mass fatality events and gross violations of human rights. Specific research foci include developing non-destructive techniques for locating clandestine graves and improving human identification methods. Since arriving at UTK in 2010, Mundorff has been PI or co-PI on 10 research grants. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Justice; the Fulbright Specialist Program; the U.S. Department of the Interior, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); the U.S. Army Research Office and Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency; and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Department of Defense, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Read about the Mass Grave Research Project

Teaching

• Human Osteology ANTH 480
• Dental Anthropology ANTH 306
• Forensic Science and Human Rights ANTH 489
• Scene of the Crime ANTH 105
• Research Design and Proposal Writing ANTH 650

Publications

• 2024     Mundorff AZ, Kosalka RC, Blau S. Disaster victim management: Role of anthropologist, In Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 3^rd Edition. Payne-James J, Byard R, editors. Elsevier Science, Oxford: pp
• 2023     Taylor LS, Gonzalez A, Essington ME, Lenaghan SC, Stewart CN, Mundorff AZ, Steadman DW, DeBruyn JM. Soil elemental changes during human decomposition. PLoS ONE 18(6):e0287094
• 2023     Blau S, Roberts J, Cunha E, Delabarde T, Mundorff AZ, de Boer HH. Re-examining so-called ‘secondary identifiers’ in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI): why and how are they used? Forensic Science International https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111615
• 2022     Emmons AL, Mundorff AZ, Hoeland KM, Davoren J, Keenan SW, Carter DO, Campagna SR, DeBruyn JM. Postmortem skeletal microbial community composition and function in buried human remains. mSystems https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00041-22
• 2022     Chidimuro B, Mundorff A, Speller C, Radini A_, Boudreault N, Lucas M, Holst M_, Lamb A, Collins M, Alexander M. Isotope analysis of human dental calculus δ¹³CO₃^2-: investigating a potential new proxy for sugar consumption. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry doi: 10.1002/rcm.9286
• 2021     DeBruyn JM, Hoeland KM, Taylor LS, Stevens JD, Moats MA, Bandopadhyay S, Dearth SP, Castro HF, Hewitt KK, Campagna SR, Dautartas AM, Vidoli GM, Mundorff AZ, Steadman DW. Comparative decomposition of humans and pigs: Soil biogeochemistry, microbial activity and metabolomic profiles. Frontiers in Microbiology, Systems Microbiology https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.608856
• 2020     Brabazon H, DeBruyn JM, Lenaghan SC, Fei Li, Mundorff AZ, Steadman DW, Stewart Jr CN. Plants to remotely detect human decomposition? Trends in Plant Science. Oct; 25(10):947-949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.07.013 Epub 2020 Sep 3.  
• 2020     Mundorff AZ, Wagner S. Immediacy and Authority: Identification efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the World Trade Center, In Silent Witness, Erlich H, Stover E, White TJ, editors. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190909444.003.0015 
• 2020     Emmons AL, Mundorff AZ, Keenan SW, Davoren J, Andronowski JM, Carter DO, DeBruyn JM. Characterizing the postmortem human bone microbiome from surface-decomposed remains, PLoS ONE 15(7): e0218636. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218636
• 2020     de Boer HH, Roberts J, Delabarde T, Mundorff AZ, Blau S. Disaster victim identification operations with fragmented, burnt, or commingled remains: Experienced-based recommendations, Forensic Science Research https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2020.1751385
• 2020     Emmons AL, Davoren J, DeBruyn JM, Mundorff AZ. Inter and intra-individual variation in skeletal DNA preservation in buried remain, Forensic Science International: Genetics 44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2019.102193
• 2019     Andronowski JM, Mundorff AZ, Davis RA, Price EW. Application of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to examine surface chemistry of cancellous bone and medullary contents to refine bone sample selection for nuclear DNA analysis, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 34(10): 2074-2082 https://doi.org/10.1039/C9JA00203K
• 2018     Keenan SW, Emmons AL, Taylor LS, Phillips G, Mason AR, Mundorff AZ, Bernard EC, Davoren J, DeBruyn JM. Spatial impacts of a multi-individual grave on microbial and microfaunal communities and soil biochemistry, PLoS ONE 13(12):e0208845 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208845
• 2018     Mundorff AZ, Amory S, Huel R, Bilic ́ A, Scott AL, Parsons TJ. An economical and efficient method for postmortem DNA sampling in mass fatalities, Forensic Science International: Genetics 36:167-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.07.009 
• 2018     Hendy J, Warinner C, Bouwman A, Collins MJ, Fiddyment S, Fischer R, Hagen R, Hofman CA, Holst M, Chaves E, Klaus L, Larson G, Mackie M, McGrath K, Mundorff AZ, Radini A, Rao H, Trachsel C, Velsko IM, Speller CF. Proteomic Evidence of Dietary Sources in Ancient Dental Calculus, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285:20180977. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0977 
• 2018     Corcoran KA, Mundorff AZ, White DA, Emch WL. A Novel Application of Terrestrial LIDAR to Characterize Elevation Change at Human Grave Surfaces in Support of Narrowing Down Possible Unmarked Grave Locations, Forensic Science International 289:320-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.05.038   
• 2018     Wright K, Mundorff A, Chaseling J, Maguire C, Crane D. Identifying Child Victims of the South-East Asia Tsunami in Thailand. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal 27(4):447-455. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-02-2018-0044 
• 2018     Dautartas A, Kenyhercz MW, Vidoli GM, Jantz LM, Mundorff A, Steadman DW. Differential Decomposition Among Pig, Rabbit, and Human Remains, Journal of Forensic Sciences. doi:10.1111/1556-4029.13784   
• 2018     Steadman DW, Dautartas A, Kenyhercz MW, Jantz LM, Mundorff A, Vidoli GM. Differential Scavenging Among Pig, Rabbit, and Human Subjects, Journal of Forensic Sciences. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.13786
• 2018     Mundorff A, G Vidoli. Mass Disasters, In The International Encyclopedia of Anthropological Biology, Vol. II, Wenda Trevathan, editor. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. pp. 975-978. 
• 2018     Katsanis SH, Snyder L, Arnholt K, Mundorff A. Consent Process for US-based Family Reference DNA Samples, Forensic Science International: Genetics 32:71-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2017.10.011 
• 2017     Emmons AL, DeBruyn JM, Mundorff AZ, Cobaugh KL, Cabana GS. The Persistence of Human DNA in Soil Following Surface Decomposition. Science & Justice 57(5):341-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2017.05.002
• 2017     Andronowski JM, Mundorff AZ, Pratt IV, Davoren J, Cooper D. Evaluating Differential Nuclear DNA Yield Rates and Osteocyte Numbers Among Human Bone Tissue Types: A Synchrotron Radiation Micro-CT Approach. Forensic Science International: Genetics 28:211-218.
• 2016     Sledzik P, Mundorff AZ. Forensic Anthropology in Disaster Response, In Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archeology, 2^nd Edition. Blau S, Ubelaker D, editors. Routledge, Abingdon: 477-495.
• 2015     Wright K, Mundorff A, Chaseling J, Maguire C, Crane D. An Evaluation of the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification DNA Operation. Forensic Science Policy & Management: An International Journal 6(3-4):69-78. 
• 2015     Frank E, Mundorff AZ, Davoren J. The Effect of Common Imaging and Hot Water Maceration on DNA Recovery from Skeletal Remains. Forensic Science International 257:189-195. 
• 2015     Wright K, Mundorff A, Chaseling J, Forrest A, Maguire C, Crane D. A New Disaster Victim Identification Management Strategy Targeting “Near Identification-Threshold” Cases: Experiences from the Boxing Day Tsunami. Forensic Science International 250:91-97.
• 2014     Mundorff AZ, Bartelink EJ, Murad TA. Sexual Dimorphism in Finger Breadth Measurements: A Tool for Sex Estimation from Fingerprints. Journal of Forensic Sciences 59(4):891-897.
• 2014     Mundorff AZ, Davoren JM. Examination of DNA Yield Rates for Different Skeletal Elements at Increasing Post Mortem Intervals. Forensic Science International: Genetics 8:55-63.
• 2014     Mundorff AZ. Anthropologist-Directed Triage: Three Distinct Mass Fatality Events Involving Fragmentation of Human Remains, In Commingled Human Remains: Methods in Recovery, Analysis, and Identification. Adams BJ, Byrd JE, editors. Elsevier Science, Oxford; pp. 363-386. 
• 2014     Mundorff AZ, Shaler RC, Bieschke E, Mar-Cash E. Marrying Anthropology and DNA: Essential for Solving Complex Commingling Problems in Cases of Extreme Fragmentation, In Commingled Human Remains: Methods in Recovery, Analysis, and Identification. Adams BJ, Byrd JE, editors. Elsevier Science, Oxford; pp. 255-272.
• 2013     Mundorff AZ, Kiley S, Latham KE, Haak W, Gilson T. Individualizing Unidentified Skeletal Remains: A Differential Diagnosis Combining Pathological Changes and Biomolecular Testing. Journal of Forensic Identification 63(6):617-632.
• 2012     Vidoli GM, Mundorff AZ. Victim Fragmentation Patterns and Seat Location Supplements Crash Data: American Airlines Flight 587. Aviation, Space, & Environmental Medicine 83(4):412-417.
• 2012     Mundorff AZ. Integrating Forensic Anthropology into Disaster Victim Identification. Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology 8(2):131-139.  (Special Volume: Disaster Victim Identification and Management).
• 2011     Checker M (ed.), Mundorff A, Wali A, DeGenova N, Lutz C, Gonzalez R, Johnston BR. “Year that Trembled and Reel’d”: Reflections on Public Anthropology a Decade After 9/11. American Anthropologist 13(3): 491-504.