Outstanding Research Mentor - Eric Bartelink

Professor Eric Bartelink, Department of Anthropology, received his B.S. in Anthropology at Central Michigan University in 1995, his M.A. in Anthropology at CSU-Chico in 2001, and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Anthropology in 2006.

Since he arrived in 2006, Dr. Bartelink’s has helped to expand upon the already strong program in physical and forensic anthropology.  His contributions include the establishment of the Stable Isotope Preparation Laboratory with former graduate student Melanie Beasley (MA 2008), and expanding on the existing facilities in the Human Identification Laboratory.  He has involved students in forensic casework, bioarchaeological and forensic anthropology projects, and stable isotope research for reconstructing the diets of earlier human populations.  Dr. Bartelink is committed to engaging students in professional development, including presentations at scholarly conferences and publishing research in scholarly journals.  He has established research collaborations with other academic institutions such as U.C. Davis, San Jose State University, San Francisco State University, Texas A&M University, and the Department of Human Evolution at the Max-Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany

Professor Bartelink has been active within the Anthropology Department, and has involved students in several research projects.  Approximately one-half of his presented papers and posters have been co-authored by students. He currently serves as the Director of the CSU-Chico Human Identification Laboratory and is the co-coordinator for the Certificate in Forensic Identification.  He has served on conference program committees, has co-organized several symposia, and has served as a peer-reviewer for numerous scientific journals.  He has published several papers in national and regional journals on bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and taphonomy, and many of his co-authors are current and former students. 

Professor Bartelink was the recipient of a CSU, Chico Professional Achievement Honor in 2009.