Plant biochemist cultivates science programs, enrollment, and student success

Andrew Mazz Marry grew up in Great Britain, and earned his PhD in plant biochemistry and cell biology at the prestigious John Innes Centre in Norwich—a world-renowned leader in plant and animal science research. Fresh off graduation he planned to pursue a post-doctorate in New Zealand, but was convinced by an old coworker to consider Fargo instead.

“The reason I came is actually John Wayne. My dad and I used to love watching Western movies, and in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, there’s a scene where they talk about the Dakota Territory,” Dr. Marry says. “My father passed shortly before, and I thought going to a frontier town is something my dad would be proud of.”

After a research fellowship at NDSU, he decided to try his hand at teaching. Dr. Marry accepted a one-year position at Minnesota State Moorhead, despite the advice of a colleague.

“A professor friend of mine told me in 2005 to be careful of one year teaching positions. I asked why, and he said he took one in 1965 and never left,” Dr. Marry joked.

He has been a Bioscience Professor at Moorhead for 21 years, working his way up from an assistant professor to a full professor and is the current Chair of the School of Sciences.

Dr. Marry is being recognized with Minnesota State Moorhead’s Outstanding Service Award for his dedication to mentoring students, contributions to improving the university, and personal leadership philosophy.

Dedicated to student success

Dr. Marry’s desire to teach stemmed from his experience as a student in higher education. “In college, I came into contact with two professors; one of whom I think it’s the best I’ve ever had, and one who was the worst.”

He went on to explain that his favorite teacher was an ecologist that would create models to physically represent what was being taught in the class. “I remember everything he said. It was brilliant,” Dr. Marry says. The other professor didn’t plan their lectures, speaking without notes and then leaving without any contact with the students. “I thought if I aimed for the middle of those two I’d be pretty good,” he says.

This experience grew to become one of the roots of his teaching: cultivating student interest. Dr. Marry tries to tailor every class to what the students might be able to make a personal connection with.

“Not many people love plants as much as I do, so in General Botany I teach on plants that are important to human nutrition, because that’s more interesting to people. The students can make a connection to it.”


Dr. Marry with vegetables grown in his home garden

Meaningful relationships with students are a big part of why he enjoys being a professor at Moorhead. As an undergraduate, having his instructors consistently available for advice, mentorship, and questions made a huge impact in his success as a first-generation student. “I’ve always known that I wanted to be that for other students,” he says.

While Dr. Marry proves his dedication for students in a personal and relational way, he also does so in how he conducts his classroom. Dr. Marry works with Skyepack to ensure that students can access quality information for a fraction of the cost of the usual textbook.

He has also closely advises students on their development, and has helped his advisees be placed in prestigious graduate school programs in a wide variety of concentrations.

Building for future Dragons

Dr. Marry was unanimously voted in as Chair of the Bioscience Department in 2022. Through this office, he recognized that transfer credits from Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) had issues transferring to Minnesota State Moorhead. He addressed this longstanding issue, allowing M State students to stay in the area they call home to attain their bachelor’s degree.

This has yielded more transfer students into the sciences than ever before. “Over four years, we’ve seen a 35% increase in transfer students from M State to Moorhead for biology alone,” he says.

Dr. Marry also led the development of an Associates of Science degree for students wanting to enter the workforce early. He has also re-worked science labs to accommodate more students.

In 2024, there was a vacancy for leadership in the Anthropology and Earth Science department. Dr. Marry was appointed the Interim Chair and got to work learning the department and faculty. “I spent an hour with each faculty member to address their concerns, perspective, equipment needs, and to get to know each of them personally,” he says.

In 2025, Dr. Marry was unanimously appointed the first Chair of the newly formed School of Science. This position oversees the Biosciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Physics & Astronomy, and Anthropology & Earth Science departments.

Leadership found in the depths

Dr. Marry’s leadership principles were formed in rehabilitation, after succumbing to an addiction to alcohol, of which he is now nine years sober from. He decided to stay at Moorhead, slowly regaining trust and confidence with his peers, and was eventually promoted twice and unanimously voted as Chair twice.

“I thought I owed it to my peers because they put up with me being half here, even when I thought I was completely present. That’s radical self-honesty for you. I showed up and thought I was being awesome, and I was barely getting by. I thought they deserved more from me.”

Radical self-honesty is one of Dr. Marry’s most important principles. He isn’t afraid to say he doesn’t know when questions arise that he can’t answer. His philosophy is to recognize shortcomings and trust the people who do know the answers, or can find them. Dr. Marry admits that he has a problem with the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” because it calls for dishonesty. He prefers “brave it ‘til you make it.”

His second principle is the simple act of taking a deep breath. Slowing down to take a long breath allows you to clear your mind and think more rationally. “Good things come to those who take a breath,” he says.

The last principle is to change one’s approach to problems. Dr. Marry reframes every problem with recognizing the positives first. “When you make a list of what works, you can move forward,” he says. He emphasizes building on what still works to adjust and find solutions to the problem being faced.

Dr. Marry recently presented these three principles as a featured speaker for TEDx in Duluth.

Giving back to the community

With all of his personal and professional success, Dr. Marry stays grounded, serving at many local nonprofits including the very place that helped turn his life around.

“I volunteer at Prairie St. John’s every week to talk to the new people in the chemical dependency unit. I share that getting sober is only the start of your recovery; you still have to pick your life up and not be afraid to move forward.”

Dr. Marry lives out that advice. While others recommended he find a new job after rehab, he stuck with Moorhead to build trust and re-kindle relationships with his peers. Nine years later he has paved the way for transfer students, improved facilities, and advised students into prestigious graduate programs.

Dr. Marry embodies what it truly means to be a Dragon. His grit to overcome personal challenges, curiosity to discover what can be improved, and heart for students are just a few reasons why Mazz Marry is the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award.

Congratulations, Dr. Marry.