PhD Graduate Champions Coral Reef Conservation Through Research and Mentorship

Earning her PhD in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University this past May, Jordan Sims has spent the past several years immersed, literally and figuratively, in the underwater ecosystems of Honduras, where her research is helping solve real-world challenges in coral reef conservation.

As a marine microbial ecologist, Sims studied the invisible world of microbes living in and around coral reefs, exploring how these tiny organisms influence the health of one of the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth. Much of Sims’s dissertation work involved coral settlement to help conservationists improve restoration techniques. She also investigated genotyping corals in restoration programs to ensure their genetic diversity supports long-term survival. 

“It’s good science, and it’s important science,” she said. “But it’s also applicable science. That was really fulfilling to me in my dissertation.”

Sims’s connection to Honduras came about through George Mason’s SCUBA Club. The club had taken students to Honduras for years, building strong relationships with local researchers and conservationists. When Sims joined the club as a PhD student, a single trip turned into an ongoing collaboration. “I got to go on a trip and build those relationships, and then I continued working with them independently,” she said.

With her advisor, Environmental Science and Policy Assistant Professor Jennifer Salerno, Sims nurtured those partnerships beyond the initial group trips, returning to Honduras on her own and mentoring undergraduate interns involved in reef research. 

Sims shared that one of her most memorable experiences at George Mason was mentoring a student through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, offered by the university’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). The student developed a passion for reef work during a field trip to Honduras, later joined Sims on a research project, and ultimately returned to George Mason to pursue a master’s degree. “Watching that journey unfold was incredibly meaningful,” Sims said. “Being part of someone discovering their path was deeply rewarding,” she said.

Sims earned her bachelor’s degree at Rice University, where she first developed an interest in marine biology and coral reefs. When considering graduate programs, she knew she wanted a PhD that combined science with policy. “In coral reef science, applied work is so important,” she explained. “Corals are dying, and we have such limited resources, so everything we do should contribute to the bigger picture.”

Sims is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), which she credits as a turning point in her graduate career. After spending two years as a teaching assistant, the GRFP allowed her to shift to a research assistantship. “I was able to focus fully on my research, and I like to think I helped the reefs more because of that.”

Now, Sims is preparing to take the next step to a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Berkeley. “I love doing research. I love mentoring students,” she said. “So, I’m looking for a place where I can be very hands-on with the reef but also help bring up the next generation of scientists.”