Texas State Professor Earned MacArthur Fellowship

Anthropologist Kate Spradley received an $800,000 grant for her humanitarian work in forensic identification.

Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Social Sciences

Isometric editorial illustration of brass calipers resting next to a bone fragment on a desk, representing forensic anthropology research. — Texas State University anthropology professor Kate Spradley has been awarded a 2026 MacArthur Fellowship for her forensic work identifying human remains. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Texas State University anthropology professor Kate Spradley has been awarded a 2026 MacArthur Fellowship. The recognition honors her pioneering efforts in forensic anthropology, specifically her work identifying human remains found in Texas border counties.

Why it matters

The MacArthur Foundation honored Spradley for her significant social impact in forensic science and research. Her work addresses critical gaps in identification services within a state where many counties lack formal medical examiner offices.

Spradley established population-specific reference data for skeletal remains of Latin American origin to aid identification efforts. The project addresses an environment where only 14 of 254 Texas counties currently employ a medical examiner.

The players

Kate Spradley

She is an anthropology professor at Texas State University who leads humanitarian forensic identification efforts.

MacArthur Foundation

This philanthropic organization awards annual fellowships to individuals who demonstrate exceptional creativity and merit in their respective fields.

Operation Identification

This humanitarian initiative facilitates the identification of unidentified human remains found in Texas border counties.

The details

Spradley founded Operation Identification in 2013, a humanitarian initiative designed to assist Texas counties lacking the resources to identify and repatriate recovered remains. The project has successfully identified nearly 300 individuals to date.

Operation Identification was founded in 2013.
The MacArthur Fellowship was awarded to Kate Spradley in 2026.
Previous grant funding for the research team expired in September 2026.

The Big Picture

Spradley’s work bridges the gap between academic forensic anthropology and the systemic limitations inherent in the Texas state medical examiner statutes. Her identification of a specific population-based methodology shifts how forensic investigations are conducted in underserved rural areas.

The expansion of Operation Identification funded by this grant will likely increase the identification rate of unidentified individuals found in border regions. This work establishes new forensic protocols that could eventually be adopted by other jurisdictions facing similar resource limitations.

The takeaway

This fellowship highlights the vital role of academic research in addressing humanitarian crises at the local level. Spradley’s success demonstrates how specialized forensic data can overcome severe infrastructure deficits in public health and legal identification services.