Sue Black

In 2017, Black was presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine by University of St Andrews for her contribution to science and humanity. She received an honorary Doctorate of Science (DSc) from the University of Aberdeen in 2019, at a ceremony in which her daughter graduated in law. In 2018, her book All That Remains: A Life in Death won the Saltire Book of the Year award.

Black was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to forensic anthropology.

In October 2015, Black was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Her choices included The Corries, Glenn Miller, Gerry Rafferty, Dire Straits and Cher. Her favourite was "Highland Cathedral" by Lathallan School. In July 2018 Black was the guest on BBC's Hard Talk.

In 2014 Black assisted police in Manchester in the arrest of a 34 year-old man suspected of filming himself raping a child. She confirmed the suspect's identity by analysing footage and images of his hands. He was convicted, and she received a police commendation for her work.

Black and her team at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification were awarded the University of Dundee's Stephen Fry Award for Public Engagement with Research in 2012 and the Queen's Anniversary Award for Higher Education in 2013 and in May 2014, she was awarded a prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award for her research into identification from the hand.

Black starred in BBC Two's History Cold Case, which aired two series between 2010 and 2011. In February 2013, she was assessed as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the UK by BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and in 2014 was also subject of The Life Scientific on the same station. In 2014, she appeared in the documentary 'After the Wave: Ten years since the Boxing Day Tsunami' examining the forensic response in Thailand to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

In 2005 Black was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee. In 2008, she was appointed to head the newly created Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee (CAHID), which runs undergraduate courses in forensic anthropology and postgraduate courses in anatomy and advanced forensic anthropology. This department is training the UK National Disaster Victim Identification (UK DVI) team for police and scientists in advanced mortuary practices.

Black was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2005, a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. In 2001 Black was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to forensic anthropology in Kosovo and in 2008 she was awarded the Lucy Mair Medal from the Royal Anthropological Institute and a police commendation for DVI training. In 2009 she was awarded the University of Aberdeen's Brian Cox Award for Public Engagement.

In 2003 she undertook two tours to Iraq. In 2005 she participated in the United Kingdom's contribution to the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification operation (jointly led by the Thai and Australian Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) teams) as part of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami international response.

Between 1992 and 2003 she undertook contract work variously for UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the United Nations involving the identification of victims and perpetrators of various conflicts. In 1999, she became the lead forensic anthropologist to the British Forensic Team in Kosovo, deployed by the FCO on behalf of the United Nations and later that year deployed to Sierra Leone and Grenada.

In 1987 she was appointed a lecturer in Anatomy at St Thomas' Hospital, London, which started her career in forensic anthropology, serving in this role until 1992.

Sue Black was born in Inverness and educated at Inverness Royal Academy. She attended the University of Aberdeen where she graduated with a BSc with honours in human anatomy in 1982, and a PhD for her thesis on 'Identification from the Human Skeleton' in 1986.

Dame Susan Margaret Black DBE FRSE FRCP FRAI (née Gunn; born 7 May 1961) is a Scottish forensic anthropologist, anatomist and academic. She is the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University. From 2005 to 2018, she was Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee. Professor Black is the current President of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.