Written By Olena Riznyk
LUCAN – Dr. Allie Stewart’s career doesn’t fit neatly into one job description. She teaches at university, works in archaeology and forensic anthropology, assists with real investigations and advises television productions–a path that has taken her from Canada to archaeological sites across Europe and forensic work in the United Kingdom.
Stewart now lives and works in England, but Lucan remains a familiar place. Her family moved to the community while she was studying at Western University, and she recently returned while visiting them. During her stay, Stewart shared her experience through two presentations at the Lucan Library.
Her interest in the field started in a surprisingly ordinary way. Stewart remembers watching the television series Bones and thinking the work looked fascinating. An anthropology course at Western gave her a chance to explore that interest further.
As a student, she attended field schools across Europe and gained hands-on experience before moving to England for a master’s degree in forensic anthropology and later completing a PhD in bioarchaeology.
Part of what drew Stewart to archaeology was the sense of discovery. “You’re discovering something that no one else has ever seen before,” she said.
Today, her work reaches far beyond archaeological sites. As a forensic anthropologist in the UK, Stewart can be called to assist with police investigations, sometimes before human remains have even been found. Investigators may have information about a possible hidden grave and ask specialists to help locate it.
Her career has also taken her behind the scenes of television and podcasts. Stewart has advised productions including Netflix’s Stay Close and the British crime series Traces, helping make complex forensic science understandable for audiences.
Her Lucan presentations offered a look at both sides of her work. One explored bioarchaeology through an unusual 17th-century “vampire” burial she helped excavate in Poland while still a student. The second focused on real forensic anthropology, including cases she has worked on and the science used to search for possible graves.
Lucan Library Branch Supervisor Leigh Robinson said Stewart has a way of bringing those complex subjects to life. “She always has great stories,” Robinson said. “She’s a very, very good professor, very good teacher.”
For young people curious about where their own interests might lead, Stewart’s advice was simple: study, but also look for experience. Try museums, field schools and opportunities beyond your own community. “Ask questions and see what’s out there,” she said, “and maybe not be afraid to go somewhere else to try those things as well.”
