Buikstra’s international research encompasses bioarchaeology, paleopathology, forensic anthropology and paleodemography. Among her current work is an investigation of the evolutionary history of ancient tuberculosis in the Americas based on archaeologically recovered pathogen DNA.

Recent awards include the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ T. Dale Stewart Award and the Charles R. Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

Buikstra is the president of the Center for American Archeology and has served as past president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, the American Anthropological Association and the Paleopathology Association. She is the inaugural editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Paleopathology.