Morgan Wynn Named Graduate Assistant of the Year at VSU

Morgan Wynn of Valdosta, Georgia, is Valdosta State University’s 2025 Graduate Assistant of the Year. She graduates this summer with a Master of Science in Biology, which she completed in record time through VSU’s accelerated undergraduate-to-graduate track. She will continue her education this fall as a student in the Mercer University School of Medicine’s Doctor of Medicine program. She previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry in May 2024 at VSU. As a graduate assistant, Morgan Wynn works with Dr. Ansul Lokdarshi, a plant molecular biochemist and assistant professor in VSU’s Department of Biology. She assists with his research and publication submissions, serves as a lab prep aid, and even teaches the occasional introductory lab session for upper-level biology students.

VALDOSTA — Morgan Wynn of Valdosta, Georgia, is Valdosta State University’s 2025 Graduate Assistant of the Year.

“Winning this award inspires me both as a student and as a woman,” she said. “I know of several amazing and highly successful students to win this award before me, and to be among such powerful and intelligent women in that category is extremely rewarding. To be recognized like this for my hard work up to this point only motivates me to continue in my pursuit of excellence and assures me in my next steps. I am deeply honored and grateful for this recognition.”

Wynn works as a graduate research assistant for Dr. Ansul Lokdarshi, a plant molecular biochemist and assistant professor in VSU’s Department of Biology. She assists with his research and publication submissions, serves as a lab prep aid, and even teaches the occasional introductory lab session for upper-level biology students.

“My research over the course of my assistantship has focused on understanding plant stress biology at a molecular level and how plants can manage and respond to different kinds of stress,” she said. “More specifically, I have focused on plant hormones methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid in the stress response program of Arabidopsis thaliana.”

Accepting a graduate assistantship on Lokdarshi’s team was an easy decision for Wynn. As an undergraduate student, she also worked as a member of his research team. 

“I have learned a great deal in Dr. Lokdarshi’s lab,” she said. “Not only have I acquired skills in several biochemical and molecular techniques, but I have been allowed to grow in my professionalism and leadership. I have learned how to independently plan and carry out experiments, as well as think critically through periods of troubleshooting. Additionally, getting to step into the role of instructor on a few occasions has been extremely eye opening and given me a renewed appreciation for all of the hard work professors put into their classes. From teaching students in a classroom to training undergraduates in lab techniques, I have grown in my ability as a leader and delegator. I know that all of these experiences will serve me well as I continue in my career, seeking out research opportunities wherever I can.”

Wynn previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry in May 2024. She graduates again this summer with a Master of Science in Biology, which she completed in record time through VSU’s accelerated undergraduate-to-graduate track. She will continue her education this fall as a student in the Mercer University School of Medicine’s Doctor of Medicine program.

As a student at VSU, Wynn has mentored first-year biology majors and served as an ambassador for the College of Science and Mathematics. She volunteered her time and talents with the Girl Scout Outreach Program and SGMC Health’s Emergency Department and Pearlman Comprehensive Cancer Center.  

She also accumulated more than 1,000 hours as an independent research intern studying how eukaryotic cells regulate protein synthesis.

“I have developed expertise in a variety of biochemical, cellular, and molecular techniques such as sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, polymerase chain reaction, and polysome profiling,” she said. “I have dedicated my time and knowledge of the subject towards this research, which has great potential for publication in the future.”

Her diligence in the research lab has helped her garner several notable accolades, including a Best Undergraduate Presentation Award from the Georgia Academy of Science, a second place Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award from the Southern Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists, a third place Three-Minute Video Research Competition Award from the VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium, and a third place Graduate Oral Presentation Award from the Southern Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists.   

Wynn’s commitment to academic, leadership, research, and service excellence is evident in all that she does. As a VSU undergraduate student, she earned repeated Dean’s List honors, the 2023 Mack Varnedoe Greer Sr. MD Scholarship, the 2024 David and Cecelia Ratcliffe Scholarship, the 2024 John and Gertrude Odum Scholarship, the 2024 Marjorie Carter Award, and the 2025 American Association of University Women Award. She was a Zell Miller Scholar, a Jennett Scholar, and a finalist for the 2024 College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Student Award.

When asked about her advice for the graduate assistant who takes her place in the future, she said she would tell them to “appreciate failure.”

“If I have learned one thing from being involved in research projects over the past two years, it is that things rarely go as you expect them to. You have to learn that failure is simply a part of the process and is a major opportunity for new learning experiences and character development. All you can do is keep moving forward. As long as you can say that you are putting your best foot forward every single day, that is a success in and of itself.”