Jordan Phillips Earns Outstanding Student Award at VSU

Jordan Alexandra Phillips of Lenox, Georgia, is the recipient of Valdosta State University’s 2025-2026 College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Student Award. She is pictured with Dr. Cristina Calestani, genetics and genomics professor; Dr. Pierre-Richard Cornely, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics; Dr. Sheri Noviello, interim provost and vice president for the Division of Academic Affairs; and Dr. William Crowe, interim president of VSU.

VALDOSTA — Jordan Alexandra Phillips of Lenox, Georgia, is the recipient of Valdosta State University’s 2025-2026 College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Student Award.

The College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Student Award is presented to a student with a record of academic excellence and distinguished service inside and outside the classroom.

“I was deeply excited to receive the award,” she said. “I also felt very honored. It makes me feel like my hard work has been appreciated, which is something that at other places has not occurred no matter how hard I worked or how passionate I was. It was a very healing process in a way. It also warms my heart to know that I received this award due to the nominations by people I so deeply respect. This reflects my overall experience here at VSU, where people have been so kind and welcoming to me. I have truly enjoyed my time here at VSU!”

As an undergraduate student at VSU, Phillips served as secretary of the Rotaract Club. She volunteered in the on-campus Herbarium, at the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services’ Once Upon a STEM Day, and with two College of Science and Mathematics’ Science Saturday events.

“I had a great deal of fun helping the children learn about science,” she said. “As a child, I got to attend similar events, and it shaped a lot of my love for the sciences.”

As a leader in the University Ambassadors program, she introduced prospective students and their families to Blazer Nation and celebrated the achievements of VSU graduates as they walked across the stage at Commencement.  

Phillips actively engaged in research that took her academic experience beyond the classroom and encouraged her to explore real-world questions in her fields of study. These efforts allowed her to develop a deeper understanding of scientific discovery, spread her enthusiasm for science, and inspire others to appreciate its impact on everyday life.

She performed research on plant gene expression with Dr. Felix Jimenez Rondan, assistant professor in the Department of Biology.

Her work with Dr. Jonghoon Kang, biophysics professor, resulted in the publication of “Nonlinear Modeling Reveals a Refined Relationship Between Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes and Postsurgical Inflammatory and Organ Damage Responses” in the December 2025 edition of the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

She presented “Mistaken Identity: How to Eliminate the Inadequacies of Current Forensic DNA Analysis” at VSU’s 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium.

She joined the research team of Dr. Cristina Calestani, genetics and genomics professor, to study how to use eDNA to monitor the spread of an invasive mussel species. That work resulted in her delivering an oral presentation — “Development of eDNA Technology Applied to the Monitoring of the Invasive Marine Mussel Mytella Charruana” — at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium. She has been selected to present this research at the International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in August.

Her commitment to academic, leadership, research, and service excellence resulted in her earning multiple Dean’s List recognitions as well as the 2025-2026 Biology Senior Award. She is a Georgia HOPE Scholar.

Phillips will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Minor in Chemistry, and an Honors College Certificate this summer.

“My career goal after graduation is to work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as a forensic DNA analyst,” she said. “I have always wanted to help people, and I have always loved science, so it will be a joy to meld the two together! I especially appreciate the fact that I will be helping to uncover truth. The knowledge that this truth can both help prevent someone from harming others and be brought to justice while also being able to exonerate the innocent is something that I do not take lightly. I feel honored to be able to help people in this way in the future through my career field.”

On the Web:
https://www.valdosta.edu/cosm/