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Instructional Assistant Professor
Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry
Prior to joining the teaching faculty at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dr. Kesterke spent nearly a decade as a coroner and anthropologist excavating and investigating human remains in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. During this time, his research focused on skeletal features used in identifying individuals and the role of climate, disease, and/or genetics in shaping human variation and methods for quantifying and evaluating this variation.
This trajectory led him to his Ph.D. topic investigating the role of maternal thyroid hormone levels on offspring craniofacial variation using geometric morphometric (GM) analysis and Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis (EDMA) to look at both size and shape changes during growth and development. This research continues in identifying causes of variation, ranging from histological and anthropometric studies of bone samples excavated in the Middle East and China to quantifying and identifying sexually dimorphic craniofacial features in early childhood.
Currently, Dr. Kesterke is also working to develop 3D facial imaging techniques and facial tracking methods for assessing impacts of trauma, disease, and dysfunction on craniofacial variation, surgical interventions, and therapeutic outcomes.