Research/Practice

Derek Congram is Co-Director of the Mershon Search Lab. He is a forensic archaeologist and board-certified forensic anthropologist whose work focuses on the search, recovery, analysis, identification, and memorialization of missing persons in contexts of armed conflict, political violence, and humanitarian crises. Since 1999, he has worked in academia, with governments, international organizations, judicial institutions, and civil society groups in over 25 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

Derek's research integrates archaeological, anthropological, historical, geospatial, and forensic approaches to address questions of identity, violence, memory, and the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict; his research and work is grounded in accountability to families and communities of those who are missing, and ethical engagement.

Job Duties

As Co-Director of The Search Lab, Derek leads the Center's efforts to bridge academic research and pedagogy with state and civil society actors who search for missing persons. He develops and manages collaborative research projects and international partnerships that bring together scholars, practitioners, affected communities, and policymakers.

His responsibilities include designing and implementing field-based research; developing innovative methodologies for locating, recovering, and identifying missing persons; advancing the use of geospatial, archaeological, and forensic technologies in humanitarian investigations; and producing research that informs policy and practice in the fields of human rights, transitional justice, and international security. He also supports training, capacity development, and knowledge exchange among academic institutions, governmental agencies, and humanitarian organizations

Curriculum Vitae 

Selected Publications

• Congram D (in process) Forensic dialectic; A critical evaluation of the uses of forensic science in armed conflict contexts. In: O.A. Gomez, A.D.B. Cook, and R.M. Fluhmann (Eds.), Research Handbook on Global Humanitarianism. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
• Passalacqua, N, M Pilloud and D Congram (2026) Ethics and Professionalism in Forensic Anthropology, 2nd Ed. University Press of Florida
• Reyes Ruíz, J, D Congram, RA Sirbu, & L Floridi (2025) Where are they? A review of statistical techniques and data analysis to support the search for missing persons and the new field of data-based disappearances analysis, Forensic Science International 376.
• Pachar, JV, D Congram, AM Mohareb, C Franco Paredes, JA Suarez, A Flores, G Rodriguez, & MR Pachar (2023). Mortality during migration through Darien Gap, Panama 2018-2022, The Lancet 402(10410): 1321-1322.
• Congram D, M Mikellide and M Vennemeyer (2022) Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict, Forensic Sciences Research 7(3):334-345.
• Congram D, M Kenyhercz and AG Green (2017) Mass graves mapping in support of the search for missing persons in conflict contexts, Forensic Science International 278:260-268