Reshma Satish, MS joined Colorado Mesa University Faculty as an Instructor of Forensic Investigation in Fall 2025. Her course offerings include CRMJ 280/280L: Crime Scene Processing, ANTH 270/270L: Death and Forensic Science, and ANTH 478: Professional Issues in Forensic Science.
Prior to joining the faculty at CMU, Satish served as a Forensic Anthropologist with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawai‘i for over four years. In this role, she contributed to the recovery and identification of U.S. military personnel who remained unaccounted-for from past conflicts, specifically World War II and the Korean War. Satish's work supported identification efforts through skeletal analysis, material evidence evaluation, and DNA nomination and sampling. Additionally, she was responsible for training new hires and employees on agency protocols and best practices, ensuring consistent and accurate application of forensic methods.
Satish is currently an Associate Member of the Anthropology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Satish's teaching philosophy centers on cultivating curiosity and fostering an open, supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions without fear of judgment. She believes that curiosity is fundamental to meaningful learning, as it encourages students to think critically and engage deeply with the material rather than relying solely on memorization. Her goal is for students to leave her courses feeling that they have genuinely learned something—and that they were supported throughout the process. Satish also views teaching as a collaborative process. She believes it’s perfectly acceptable not to have all the answers and models intellectual humility and openness. By doing so, she hopes to create a classroom culture where students feel encouraged to explore, question, and actively participate in their own learning journey.
Satish's academic interests lie in biological and forensic anthropology, with a broad focus on topics such as skeletal trauma analysis, forensic identification, and human biological variation. She is particularly interested in the application of forensic anthropology methods in contexts including human rights investigations, mass disasters, and the repatriation of war dead. Additional areas of focus include the ethical considerations of forensic work, the handling of commingled human remains, and the intersection of anthropology with criminal investigations.