Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome
A forensic anthropologist who turns bones into biographies, her work has identified victims of war crimes and aided high-profile criminal investigations.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Scottish forensic anthropologist·Birthday: May 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dame Sue Black approaches the human skeleton not as a mere structure, but as a narrative device. A Scottish anatomist and forensic anthropologist, she has built a career extracting stories from the dead, whether for courts of law or for history. Her work has taken her to war-torn Kosovo and Sierra Leone, where she helped identify victims of mass atrocities, providing closure and crucial evidence for international tribunals. Closer to home, her expertise has been sought in some of the UK's most complex criminal cases, analyzing remains to establish identity and cause of death. A compelling communicator, she has demystified her field through writing and television, translating the silent language of bones for the public. Her ascent to the House of Lords as a crossbench peer and her presidency of St John's College, Oxford, mark a career dedicated to applying scientific rigor in the service of justice and education.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Sue was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sue Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Sue's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead forensic anthropologist for the British forensic team in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo.
- Was appointed President of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.
- Awarded a life peerage in 2021, becoming Baroness Black of Strome, and sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.
Did You Know?
She is the President of St John's College, Oxford, a role she began in 2022.
She has written several popular science books, including 'All That Remains: A Life in Death'.
She was the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University before moving to Oxford.
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to forensic anthropology.
“The dead have much to teach us. We just have to be brave enough to listen.”
