Dr Ofelia Meza-Escobar

I am an Anatomist and Bioanthropologist working as a Teaching Specialist in Anatomy, Physiology, and Forensic Anthropology in the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield (since 2024). My professional career spans international field and academic settings: after completing a BSc in Biological Anthropology and a PGDip in Education and Human Rights at the University of Chile, I worked for several years as a Forensic Anthropologist for the Legal Medical Service (SML) and as a contract Field Bioarchaeologist in Chile. Moving to the UK in 2017, I earned an MSc in Anatomy and Advanced Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee and a PhD in Bioarchaeology at the University of Sheffield, focusing on health patterns in modern skeletal populations. Prior to my current role, I taught at the University of Birmingham’s Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Alongside my teaching, I hold institutional leadership roles within the School of Biosciences:
- Deputy Head of Employability, co-leading the school's employability provision, working in close collaboration with the Careers & Employability Service.
- Deputy School Director of Recruitment, working as part of the school’s recruitment team with a lead on widening participation activities.
- Academic Lead for the Sutton Trust Summer School, championing inclusive education by coordinating a multidisciplinary team of academics to deliver high-level academic taster sessions for the Sutton Trust Summer School.