My earliest fascination with research was driven by a life-changing high school camp experience at MIT, followed by pursuing my undergraduate studies and later, my PhD in cancer biology from Germany. Currently a postdoctoral fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, I am decoding the earliest phases in lung cancer evolution. My goal is to help derive new strategies that inhibit lung cancer, a motivation that stems from a dire need to alleviate the public burden of this aggressive malignancy. This work has been inseparable from my commitment to promote equitable access to research opportunities and publicly communicate evidence-based science.