Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State forensic anthropologist is the university’s first fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the premiere organization for professional forensic scientists in the country.
Jesse Goliath, an assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, begins his lifetime fellowship in the AAFS this spring.
Fellows are identified as actively engaging in the field of forensic science who have made significant contributions in research, teaching, professional development and other trainings, and serving the forensic science community. They are eligible to chair committees, serve as section officers and serve on the academy’s board of directors.
The AAFS, founded in 1948, is a multidisciplinary professional organization that provides leadership to advance science and its application to the legal system. More than 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 71 other countries.
Professor and head of AMEC Hsain Ilahiane said, “The rank of fellow is the highest level of membership in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Currently, Dr. Goliath is the only faculty or staff member with this rank at MSU—and one of only three active fellows in the entire state of Mississippi.”
“The promotion to fellow is a significant achievement and shows that the forensic science community recognizes I have made significant contributions to the Academy and to the discipline,” Goliath said.
Goliath also is developing the Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons, to be housed on MSU servers once completed. The database will be searchable through a website with a public access portal. Law enforcement will have private access for more in-depth searches.
A native of West Virginia, Goliath holds a Ph.D. in anthropology and a graduate minor in anatomy from The Ohio State University.
Goliath joined MSU’s faculty in 2021 and recently was appointed the American Anthropological Association’s liaison to the Register of Professional Archaeologists.
Part of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, for more information about AMEC, visit www.amec.msstate.edu. For more information about the College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.