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Dr. Mustafa Morsy

Biography

Dr. Mustafa Morsy is a Professor and the Department Chair of the Department of Biology. He holds a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Arkansas and completed two extensive Postdoctoral Appointments at the Noble Institute and the University of Nevada, Reno. At UWF, his research program seeks to understand plant-microbe interactions, genomics, and molecular biology.

He is specifically interested in microbial symbiosis, and abiotic stress tolerance. His research heavily investigates plant-fungal-viral interactions, focusing on a unique three-way symbiosis involving the fungal endophyte Curvularia protuberata. By utilizing transcriptome analyses, his work uncovers how this complex cross-kingdom interaction and specific fungal genes allow host plants to combat extreme environmental conditions. Ultimately, he studies how these microscopic relationships can be harnessed to mitigate environmental stressors, such as heat, drought, and salinity, and enhance agricultural sustainability. Morsy is also interested in supporting student success and experiential learning through competitively funded initiatives, having secured over $2.1 million in NSF S-STEM funding to cultivate a diverse STEM talent pipeline.

Morsy’s research has been published in Nature Methods, Frontiers in Plant Science, Plants, and other publications. Morsy, who previously served as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, has brought in over $4.5 million in total external research funding as PI or co-PI from agencies including the NSF, USDA, and NIH. Morsy teaches Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Principles of Biotechnology, and related subjects.

Degrees & Institutions

Ph.D. Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas

Research

Dr. Mustafa Morsy’s research program focuses on molecular biology, genomics, and plant-microbe interactions. His primary objective is to understand how cross-kingdom symbiotic associations modulate plant physiology to overcome harsh environmental conditions. His ongoing research areas include:

  • Investigating the complex cross-kingdom mechanics of three-way symbioses involving host plants, the fungal endophyte Curvularia protuberata, and its associated viruses. By utilizing transcriptome analyses and developing functional expression vectors, his lab uncovers how specific fungal genes enable plants to combat extreme thermal and environmental stress.
  • Translating laboratory discoveries into real-world sustainable agricultural applications by isolating efficient endophytic fungi to develop biofertilizers that improve crop yield and production under heat, drought, and salinity.
  • Leveraging advanced mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and feature-based molecular networking to visualize chemical spaces and annotate novel molecular formulas. His research also encompasses antibiotic discovery by screening diverse soil bacteria to uncover novel antimicrobial-producing isolates capable of fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Dr. Morsy has secured over $4.5 million in total competitive external research funding as PI or Co-PI from major federal and private agencies, including the NSF, USDA, NIH, and Bayer AG. His scholarly work is widely published in prominent, peer-reviewed journals such as Nature Methods, Nature Machine Intelligence, Frontiers in Plant Science, Scientific Reports, and Plants.