Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 556 5673
- jade.delapaz@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Professional Practice Fellow, Professional Forensic Anthropologist, Postdoc
- Department
- Department of Anatomy
- Qualifications
- BA(hons) MS (Forensic Anthropology), PhD (Otago)
- Research summary
- Forensic anthropology research aimed at improving professional applications in casework
- Teaching
- Forensic anthropology, Biological anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Forensic Sciences
- Memberships
- American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS): Fellow, Anthropology Section
- Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS): Executive Board Member (Secretary)
- Voting member writing standards for the ASB Anthropology Consensus Body:
- Skeletal Trauma Standards (published 2024)
- Sex Estimation Best Practices
- Forensic Anthropology Education Standards
- Department of Anatomy Equity, Diversity and Belonging Committee
- Clinical
- Forensic anthropology, skeletal trauma, biological profile estimation, taphonomy, sex estimation, parturition markers, fetal skeletal remains recovery, Norse archaeology
Research
I specialise in forensic anthropology with a focus on skeletal gunshot trauma, biological profile estimation, and mass disaster recovery training. With 15 years of training, casework, teaching, and research experience, I emphasize practical applications of research outcomes.
Current projects include
- Virtual reality (VR) forensic training, collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross: Evaluating effectiveness of VR for mass disaster response training
- Honours student projects: Sharp trauma dismemberment, insect colonization on remains, skeletal sex estimation validation for New Zealand Europeans
Additional details
I have worked in forensic anthropology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), and multiple US Medical Examiner’s Offices.
I consult with NZ police, coroners, and forensic pathologists and contribute to international forensic anthropology standards on the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Standards Board (ASB) Anthropology Consensus Body. I am also a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the only Anthropology section Fellow in New Zealand, and I am the Secretary on the Executive of the Australia New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS).
I have contributed to ~400 forensic cases, including 185 direct consultations in NZ and the US and 200+ identifications of unidentified US service members at DPAA.
In the news:
- NZ (2024): Bookmarks on Afternoons with RNZ (Radio New Zealand)
- Otago Daily Times (2020): Sex Estimation in Forensic Anthropology
- American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Fellow Promotion – Otago Daily Times (2024)
Publications
De La Paz, J. S., Goliath, J. R., & Yukyi, N. (2026). Diversity, representation, and inclusion in forensic anthropology. In S. E. Halcrow, S. C. Agarwal, C. de la Cova, R. Gowland & G. Robbins Schug (Eds.), Bioarchaeology, activism and social justice: Equitable and sustainable global futures. (pp. 71-86). Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-10354-3_4 Chapter in Book - Research
De La Paz, J. S., Buckley, H. R., Halcrow, S. E., Techataweewan, N., & Woodley, S. (2025). The anatomical basis of skeletal robusticity in sex estimation: Testing the relationships between soft tissue and enthesis size. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 188(3), e70150. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.70150 Journal - Research Article
De La Paz, J. S., Buckley, H. R., Halcrow, S. E., Techataweewan, N., & Woodley, S. J. (2023). Architecture of head and neck soft tissues and associated entheses: An exploration of sexual dimorphism in, and population differences between, New Zealand and Thai individuals. Journal of Anatomy, 243, 110-127. doi: 10.1111/joa.13853 Journal - Research Article
De La Paz, J. S., Buckley, H. R., Halcrow, S. E., & Woodley, S. J. (2022). A review of the anatomy of soft tissues associated with sexually dimorphic landmarks on the cranium. Anatomy, 16(2), 93-107. doi: 10.2399/ana.22.1142432 Journal - Research Other
De La Paz, J. S. (2022). The relationship between soft tissue anatomy and skeletal sexual dimorphism in the cranium and clavicle: An anatomical approach to sex estimation in anthropology (PhD). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/13650 Awarded Doctoral Degree