KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 18, 2025

Lindsey Knight’s fascination with scientific research began at a young age.

As a 9-year-old, she participated in a science enrichment program that exposed her to the brain of a sheep. It was then, after learning about how the brain and the organism develop together, that she saw her destiny in neuroscience.

“It was so incredible to think this small, 3-pound organ had completely controlled the life of that animal. That really stuck with me growing up,” said Knight, who recently earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Kennesaw State University. “Words cannot describe the importance of that experience at such a formative age.”

An interest that started early continued at Kennesaw State, where she studies neuroscience while pursuing a Master of Science in Integrative Biology through the Double Owl Pathways program. While an undergraduate, Knight boasted a 4.0 grade-point average double-minored in chemistry and data science and analytics.

“She is mature beyond her years,” said professor of biology Martin Hudson, her faculty mentor. “It can be challenging to pursue a research-based, thesis-driven master’s degree through Double Owl Pathways, but Lindsey is pulling it off because she is so dedicated and focused.”

The decision to apply to Kennesaw State was easy for Knight, who wanted a more personal college experience. Knight spent her first year getting her bearings as a student in the KSU Journey Honors College before finding Hudson’s laboratory, whose research focuses on neurological development and how defects in that process lead to neurological disorders.

“My interest is in the genetic foundations of neurological development, and that directly funneled me to Dr. Hudson,” she said. “His lab was very unique, very specific, and just reading through his website and seeing the work that he'd already done, the publications that had come out of his lab, I knew that I had to work with him.”

Her research has progressed in her nearly two years with Hudson’s lab. This spring, Knight won top poster presentation honors at the Southeastern Meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology Conference and presented her research at the International Congress of Developmental Biology conference. Hudson said the project made an important discovery in a specific transcription factor negatively regulating itself and how disrupting that activity contributes to neurological diseases. Next up will be for Knight to examine her cutting-edge single-cell RNA sequencing data, and to identify additional targets of this transcription factor.

Having fancied herself as a writer, Knight now does a different kind of storytelling through scientific papers, award-winning posters, and explaining her science at conferences. After she finishes her master’s degree in 2026, Knight has her sights set on a doctorate and a faculty position.

“I want to be Dr. Hudson when I grow up,” she said. “I want to mentor new researchers, conduct independent research and keep looking at the genetic foundation that causes or allows these neurological disorders to develop over time. What I'm doing now at KSU is exactly what I want to do in the future.”

Knight added she’ll never shake the desire to shine a light on neurological growth in an engaging way.

“Science is all storytelling, and there's nothing better than finding an engaging article or paper where you can tell the science is all there, but the writer still has a voice,” she said. “I want to bring a voice into science, and I want to convey my research in storytelling and make it engaging and understandable, especially for younger people who were like me and had that interest in science. How can I turn the science and keep its foundation but make it more digestible for all audiences?”

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photo by Darnell Wilburn

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.