Question: what scientist do you look up to in your field of work?

Charlotte Slade answered on 21 Jul 2025:

That’s a fantastic question, and while there are so many giants of science to choose from, the person I look up to the most is a true scientific superhero: Marie Curie.

There are two big reasons why she is such a hero of mine, and it has a lot to do with the kind of work I do today.

First, she refused to stay in just one box. She won Nobel prizes in two different scientific fields, Physics and Chemistry. That’s almost unheard of! She showed that the most exciting discoveries often happen when you take ideas from one area of science and apply them to another. This is what I love to do in my job, connecting the world of physics with the world of business and strategy to create something new.

Second, she wasn’t just interested in discovery for its own sake. She wanted her work to help people. During World War I, she didn’t just stay in her lab. She developed mobile X-ray machines (she called them “little Curies”) and drove them to the front lines to help doctors find bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers, saving countless lives.

She took a fundamental discovery from her physics lab and translated it into a practical tool that made a huge difference in the real world. That journey, from a complex scientific idea to a solution that makes someone’s life better, is the absolute core of what I try to do in my career.

Marie Curie was a brilliant physicist, a brilliant chemist, a humanitarian, and a pioneer who broke down so many barriers. She’s a constant reminder that the best science has both curiosity and purpose at its heart.

P.S. My own experiments have led to some interesting new materials, but so far, none have required a special lead-lined box to store them in. Probably for the best.