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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7374
Email
charlotte.king@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Lecturer
Department
Department of Anatomy
Qualifications
PhD (Durham)
Research summary
Biological anthropologist specialising in chemical analysis of skeletal remains
Teaching
I am head of the Forensic Analytical Science (FORS) programme at Otago and teach into this at all levels. I teach musculoskeletal anatomy for the First Year Health Sciences programme (HUBS191), and Biological Anthropology (BIOA papers) at all levels.
Memberships
  • New Zealand National Repatriation Network
  • Australia New Zealand Forensic Science Society
  • Australasian Society for Human Biology
  • New Zealand Archaeological Association

Research

My research focuses on the use of bone and tooth chemistry to solve forensic and archaeological problems. I use isotopic systems and trace elements relating to place of origin and diet to reconstruct life stories and identify the dead.

Currently my Marsden-funded research focuses on reconstructing the lives of colonial settlers to the Otago region and communicating these stories to the public. I also work within the National Repatriation Network to assist with returning tūpuna in institutions to their descendants, and am involved in multiple forensic focused projects examining the uses of (bio)chemical data in forensic investigations.

Publications

Kavale-Henderson, L. A., Loch, C., Buckley, H., Petchey, P., King, C., Cameron, C., & Snoddy, A. M. E. (2026). Reflections of their homelands: Early life enamel formation disruption in nineteenth century settlers of Otago, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 56, e70022. doi: 10.1002/snz2.70022 Journal - Research Article

King, C. L., Snoddy, A. M., Kleffmann, T., Petchey, P., & Buckley, H. R. (2025). Osteological sex estimation versus proteomic sex “determination”: What effect do our techniques have on the way we view the people of the past? American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 188(3), e70170. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.70170 Journal - Research Article

Kavale-Henderson, L., King, C., Cameron, C., Sohler-Snoddy, A., & Loch, C. (2025, September). Enamel formation disruption in children with known histories from Dunedin, New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the Faculty of Dentistry Clinical and Research Excellence Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kavale-Henderson, L. A., Buckley, H. R., King, C. L., Petchey, P., & Snoddy, A. M. E. (2024). Nostalgia for the old country: A histological exploration of early childhood physiological stress experiences in colonial Otago, New Zealand. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, e3281. doi: 10.1002/oa.3281 Journal - Research Article

Rogers, L. M., Halcrow, S. E., Kleffmann, T., & King, C. L. (2024). Comparing Walker's (2008) skull trait sex estimation standard to proteomic sex estimation for a group of South Asian individuals. Forensic Science International: Synergy, 8, 100450. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100450 Journal - Research Article

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