DES MOINES, Iowa - Surrounded by world leaders, scientists, and change-makers at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, one Iowa State University student stood out for her quiet determination to make a global difference. Ella McGrath, a junior studying Horticulture and Global Resource Systems, was named the 2025 Lambert “Hunger Fighter” Scholar, recognized for her unwavering commitment to fighting hunger through science, empathy, and action. The award was presented by Seed Science Center Professor Emeritus, Dr. Manjit Misra. Watch the video here.
Established to honor the late David Lambert, a distinguished fellow of the ISU Seed Science Center and an internationally recognized advocate for global food security, the $1,000 award recognizes undergraduates who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and a passion for combating hunger and malnutrition.
“David believed hunger and malnutrition were the world’s greatest twin injustices,” said Dr. Misra during the ceremony. “He dedicated his life to fighting them through education, advocacy, and action. I have no doubt he would be deeply proud to see that spirit alive in Ella McGrath.”
McGrath, a Horticulture and Global Resource Systems major in ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, maintains a near-perfect 3.99 GPA. Yet it is her commitment to using science for humanitarian impact that most impressed the scholarship committee.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Dior Kelley, McGrath has conducted research on auxin pathway genes in maize seedling development, which has helped identify gene functions that could improve crop performance. She has grown, genotyped, and phenotyped more than 2,000 maize samples—hands-on work that bridges lab precision with field relevance.
Beyond the laboratory, McGrath’s global experiences have shaped her perspective on food systems. She has studied digital agriculture adoption at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, lived among Nicaraguan migrant workers in Costa Rica, and will soon travel to India to collaborate with specialty crop growers. These experiences, she says, “ground my research in the real stories of people who grow the food we all depend on.”
“True hunger fighters,” Misra said, “are those who combine science with empathy and innovation with humanity.”