Michael Pietrusewsky

Professor

Curriculum Vitae (in pdf format)

Background
Research Interests
Current Research
Exchanges and Visiting Professor/Curator Appointments
Selected Publications
Recent Awards
Courses Taught
Additional Information

Background:

B.A. (Anthropology) State University of New York at Buffalo, 1966 M.A. (Anthropology) University of Toronto, 1967
Ph.D. (Anthropology) University of Toronto, 1969.

My research focuses on the study of prehistoric and near modern human skeletal remains from Hawaii, the Pacific, Australia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. A specialized focus is the use of multivariate statistical procedures and their application to metric and non-metric cranial/skeletal variation for understanding the peopling of the Pacific, Polynesia, Australia, and East and Southeast Asia. Other aspects of my research have centered on reconstructing the biological life histories of ancient peoples in these regions through studies of skeletal biology and bioarchaeology (e.g., paleodemography, skeletal/dental variation, health, and disease). I joined the faculty at the University of Hawai'i in 1969.

Photo Gallery of Previous and Current Research
Research in Taiwan
Research from Angkor Borei

Research Interests:

Geographical Areas: Hawaii, Polynesia, Mariana Is., Oceania, Australia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.

Topical/Theoretical Interests: Human evolution skeletal biology, health and disease, Lapita peoples, forensic anthropology.

Methodological Concerns: Multivariate statistics, skeletal biology, paleopathology.

Current Research:

• laboratory analysis of approximately 40 prehistoric human skeletons from Angkor Borei, Cambodia (200 B.C- 200 A.D.) in collaboration with Dr. Miriam Stark's LOMAP project.
• the study of human skeletal remains from the Shi San Han site (1000-1500 BP) in Taiwan including facial reconstructions.
• applying multivariate statistical procedures to cranial variation for reconstructing the population in the Pacific and Asia.
• assessing the health and disease in human skeletal remains from the Pacific, East Asia, and Southeast Asia
• the skeletal biology of the early bronze age site of Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand
• work with Lapita human skeletal remains and Polynesian origins

Funding sources for previous research include NSF, The Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China, National Science Council (R.O.C.), The Australian Museum,Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Ford Foundation, Deutscher Akademishcer Austraushdienst,CNRS (France), Field Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Richard Loundsbery Foundation, etc., and numerous intramurual grants.

Exchanges and Visiting Professor/Curator Appointments:

2005 (Spring)  Visiting Professor, Department of Anthropology, Auckland University, Auckland, New Zealand

2003  Contract from Pacific Legacy for osteological analysis of human skeletal remains from Smith-Beretania Streets, Honolulu, Hawaii

2001  Contract from Swift & Harper Archaeological Consulting, Saipan, CNMI. Analysis of human skeletons from Saipan and Tinian, CNMI

1998  Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences

1997-98  International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan

1991 (Spring)  National Taiwan University, Taipei, R.O.C.

1990  Fulbright Scholar to Japan

1983 (Spring)  College de France, Paris

1983 (Fall)  The Australian Museum, Sydney

1980-81 University of Toronto

1970-present Research Associate, B. P. Bishop Museum

Selected Publications:

Pietrusewsky, M.

2005 The Physical Anthropology of the Pacific, East Asia, and Southeast Asia: A Multivariate Craniometric Analysis. In Sargat, L., R. Blench and A. Sanchez-Mazas (eds.) The Peopling of East Asia: Putting Together Archaeology, Linguistics, and Genetics. pp.203-231. RoutledgeCurzon, London

2004 Multivariate comparisons of female cranial series from
the Ryukyu Islands and Japan. Anthropological Science (Advanced Publication).

2000 Metric analysis of skeletal remains: Methods and applications. In M.A. Katzenberg and S.R. Saunders (eds.) Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton, pp. 375-415. New York: Wiley-Liss.

1994 Pacific-Asian relationships: a physical anthropological perspective. Oceanic Linguistics 33(2):407-430.

1989  A study of skeletal and dental remains from Watom Island and comparisons with other Lapita people. Records of the Australian Museum 41:235-292.

Pietrusewsky, M. and M. T. Douglas

2002 Ban Chiang, A Prehistoric Site in Northeast Thailand. I: The Human Skeletal Remains. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Announcement and Order Form or purchase it through Amazon.com.
Read Book Review by Dr. Bin Yamaguchi (2002 Anthropological Science 10(4):439-437).
Read Book Review by Dr. Clark Larsen (2003 American Journal of Physical Anthropology 120(2):205-206).
Weblink to Review by Dr. Charles Higham (2003 Antiquity 77(298):870-872).
Read Book Review by Dr. Kate A. Robson Brown (2003 Internatioanl Journal of Osteoarchaeology 13(6):390-392).
Read Book Review by Dr. Marc Oxenham (2004 Asian Perspectives 43(1):162-167).

Pietrusewsky, M. and M. T. Douglas

2002  Intensification of agriculture at Ban Chiang: Is there evidence from the skeletons? Asian Perspectives 40(2): 157-178. Download PDF File

1994  An osteological assessment of health and disease in precontact and historic (1778) Hawai`i. In C.S. Larsen & G.R. Milner (eds.) In the Wake of Contact: Biological Responses to Conquest. pp. 179-196. New York: Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Pietrusewsky, M., M.T. Douglas and R. M. Ikehara-Quebral

1997  An assessment of health and disease in the prehistoric inhabitants of the Mariana Islands. American Journal of Physical Anthropology104:315-342. Download PDF File

Pietrusewsky, M.,T. Hunt and R. Ikehara-Quebral

1997  A Lapita-associated skeleton from Waya Island, Fiji. Micronesica 3(2): 355-388.

Pietrusewsky, M. and Ching-fang Chang

2003  Taiwan Aboriginals and peoples of the Pacific-Asian region: Multivariate craniometric comparisons. Anthropological Science 111(3):293-332. Download PDF File

Pietrusewsky, M. and Cheng-hwa Tsang

2003  A preliminary assessment of health and disease in human skeletal remains from Shi San Hang: A prehistoric aboriginal site on Taiwan. Anthropological Science 111(2): 203-223. Download PDF File

Recent Awards:

2006  College of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Research, University of Hawaii

2002  National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Stable Isotopic Analysis of Carbon and Nitrogen as an Indicator of Paleodietary Change for Pre-State Metal Age Societies in Northeast Thailand (Christopher King, co-PI)

2001 (December)  Travel Grant from Academia Sinica (Taiwan) to attend the International Symposium on Austronesian Cultures: Issues Relating to Taiwan. Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

2000  Grant from Academia Sinica, Taipei, to analyze human remains from Shi San Hang, a prehistoric cemetery site, Taiwan

1996 American Museum of Natural History Collection Study Grant: "A Study of Human Skeletal Remains from the Marquesas".

1994 National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Grant. Paleopathology in Human Skeletal Remains from Bronze-Iron Age Northeast Thailand. (M.T. Douglas, co-PI)

For a complete list of awards, click here

Courses Taught:

Anth 215 Physical Anthropology
Anth 310 Human Origins
Anth 384 Skeletal Biology
Anth 455 Human Biology of the Pacific
Anth 458 Forensic Anthropology
Anth 604 Physical Anthropology

Additional Information:

Professional Organizations:

American Association of Physical Anthropologists

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (Fellow)

Anthropological Society of Nippon

Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association

Society for American Archaeology

Society for Hawaiian Archaeology

Paleopathology Association

Dental Anthropology Association

Member District 9, National Disaster Medical Systems, U.S. Department of Health Human Services

Member, Editorial Board, Anatomical Science International

Member, Editorial Board, Anthropological Science

Other Professional Qualifications:

Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Anthropology

Consultant to Police, Medical Examiner's Office, and CRM firms

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