Faculty Profile for Dr. JP Fancher
Biography Section
Biography and Education
Dr Fancher is a clinical dental specialist (periodontist), educator, and biological anthropologist. He is a graduate of the University of Texas Dental Branch, Houston (DDS - 1974), the University of Washington School of Dentistry (Periodontics - 1983), Texas A&M University (PhD Education - 2000), and Texas State University (MA Anthropology - 2015). He is professionally certified by the American Board of Periodontology (Retired) and the American Board of Forensic Odontology.Research Interests
Research interests include human decomposition and postmortem soil analysis, dental age assessment, and oral pathologies of skeletal remains.Selected Scholarly/Creative Work
- Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A., Fancher, J. P., Alexander, M. B., Hamilton, M. D., Bytheway, J. A., & Wescott, D. J. (2021). Predicting postmortem interval for human cadavers in a sub-tropical climate using UV-Vis-near infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 66(1), 190–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14579
- Spradley, M. K., Veltri, M. F., Hamilton, M. D., & Fancher, J. P. (2020). Archeological Monitoring and Exhumations for the City of Austin’s Oakwood Cemetery Chapel Restoration Project, Travis County, Texas. Volume II: Bioarcheology. Austin, Texas: City of Austin.
- Fancher, J. P., Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A., Farris, T., Mix, K. D., Schwab, A. P., Wescott, D. J., & Hamilton, M. D. (2017). An Evaluation of Soil Chemistry in Human Cadaver Decomposition Islands. Forensic Science International, 279, 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.08.002
Selected Awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Master's Thesis Award in the Life Sciences, Conference of Southern Graduate Schools. February 28, 2018
- Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Master's Thesis Award in the Life Sciences, Texas State University. September 30, 2017
Selected Grants
- Spradley, Martha K (Principal), Hamilton, Michelle D (Supporting), Herrmann, Nicholas Paul (Supporting), Fancher, James Patrick (Supporting), Canales, Eduardo (Supporting), Crowder, Christian (Supporting), Huston Katsanis, Sara (Supporting). Centralizing and Increasing the Reporting, Identification, and Repatriation of Unidentified Migrants in Texas Border Counties, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Federal, $996045. (Submitted: 2023, Funded: January 1, 2023 - September 30, 2025). Grant.