Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa

Undergrad: Wartburg College, biochemistry

Biomedical science graduate student Gavin Godwin has always been curious.  

He was often the first child to raise his hand and ask questions in class. As he grew up, Godwin found himself gravitating toward science, excelling in both advanced placement (AP) chemistry and AP biology. He credits the latter with opening his eyes to what a career in science might look like.  

Like many students interested in science, Godwin entered his freshman year at Wartburg College planning to pursue medical school. Outside of his rigorous coursework, he was a member of the Wartburg choir and had the opportunity to tour internationally and domestically.

“These travels helped me realize that even though people are so different from you and grew up in different places, at our core, we're all human beings who want the same things,” Godwin says. “I really appreciated that we could all come together for a common goal of singing, loving each other, and making each other feel seen.”

He found a similar sense of community in the lab. During his second year on campus, Godwin participated in undergraduate research to help improve his medical school applications and earn useful research hours. The research focused on testing what drugs work best in fighting pancreatic cancer.

“This was my first time developing a research plan, conducting the experiment, and analyzing the results,” Godwin says. “It was really alluring. I saw myself wanting to be more on the research and innovation side, using the curiosity that I have always had in my life to try to ask the questions and answer the questions.”

He changed his plans and started to pursue a career path in biomedical research instead, feeling especially drawn to cancer research. This was partly because of a personal connection – his mother, a northwest Iowa native, has seen cancer affect her family firsthand. Three of her relatives died from pancreatic cancer, and several others have been diagnosed with other cancers.

Godwin’s family is not alone. Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate incidence in the country and is one of just three states where cancer rates are rising.

“Getting answers about cancer is not only important to me as a scientist and someone who wants to help people, but also as an Iowan who cares about the community that I grew up in,” Godwin says.

Godwin always wanted to be a Hawkeye and is especially proud to be a part of the University of Iowa’s Biomedical Science Program. He looks forward to building connections with other scientists and expanding his knowledge base.

“One of the things that drew me to the program is that I know I want to do something with cancer, but I didn't know what specifically,” he says.

The program’s flexibility gives students the opportunity to explore their options and use their first year to determine which subprogram and research path they want to pursue. He was also attracted to the program’s collaboration with UI Health Care and the chance to engage in translational research.

“I'm learning more about myself every day, especially about how I want to work and how I want to interact with the scientific community,” Godwin says. “I really love the rotation experience I'm going through right now, and I look forward to branching out and seeing what other labs are doing.”

At the end of his first year, Godwin will choose from one of seven subprograms and the lab he wants to work with for the rest of his graduate school career. Whether he pursues cancer biology, molecular medicine, or another subprogram, his goal is clear: to use scientific discovery to give back to the Iowa communities that raised him.