Bioarchaeology is uniquely placed to provide insights into the deep past, helping us to explore the lived experiences of different people and communities, but it also has an important role in helping us to understand, evaluate, and contextualise present-day challenges. Applied Bioarchaeology encompasses research which addresses matters of relevance today, and actively engages people in the research process in ways that are respectful and relevant to the studied population, their communities, and their descendants. The chapters in this volume identify opportunities for advancing the field of Applied Bioarchaeology; providing examples of best practice; and illustrating the potential role of bioarchaeology in creating change through advocacy and activism. In this introductory chapter, I provide an example of an Applied Bioarchaeology project, Literary Archaeology: Exploring the Lived Environment of the Slave, and outline the motivation for co-organising the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) 2023 session, Making an Impact: Developing the Field of Applied Bioarchaeology. All but one of the chapters in this book originated from presentations at this meeting. I then demonstrate how Applied Bioarchaeology is incorporating and expanding upon the publicly engaged biocultural research, and propose adopting feminist research ethics to help us empower marginalised communities, reflect critically on decisions made throughout the research process, and foster better reciprocal relationships with partners. In the final section, I introduce the subsequent chapters in this volume and call on bioarchaeologists to participate in Applied Bioarchaeology research and to recognise the importance of engagement, outreach, impact, and collaboration in all that we do.