Mr. Pless is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and a physical anthropologist with expertise in forensic anthropology. With a decade of experience in the study and interpretation of human skeletal remains, Mr. Pless has led forensic field recoveries and analyses on behalf of numerous state, county, and local law enforcement agencies across ten states, and has provided a NAGPRA inventory of human remains curated by Western Carolina University’s archaeology laboratory. Mr. Pless previously helped oversee the daily operations of a human identification laboratory, and an outdoor human decomposition research facility, including the placement/interment of cadavers and the recovery of subsequent skeletal remains.

Post-Graduate Diploma – Forensic Osteology – University of Kent (UK) – – 2019

Master of Science – Pharmacy (Forensic Science Concentration) – University of Florida – – 2017

Bachelor of Science – Forensic Anthropology – Western Carolina University – – 2013

Associate of Arts – Haywood Community College – – 2011

Archaeology Field Technician – ASC Group, Inc. – – 08/2020 to 11/2020

Team Member, Anthropology Unit – Cranfield Recovery and Identification of Conflict Casualties (CRICC) Group – – 04/2019 to Present

Instructor – Haywood Community College – – 09/2017 to 08/2018

Instructor – Western Carolina University – – 05/2013 to 08/2017

Teaching Associate – Forensic Anthropology Program – Western Carolina University – – 05/2013 to 08/2017

Instructor – Cadaver Dog Training Program – Western Carolina University – – 10/2013 to 05/2017

British Association for Human Identification (member) – – 2019 to Present

British Association for Forensic Anthropology (member) – – 2019 to Present

Royal Anthropological Institute (fellow) – – 2018 to Present

Paleopathology Association (member) – –  2016 to Present

American Association of Physical Anthropologists (member) – – 2016 to Present

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (associate member) – – 2012 to Present