When I was in my early teens, I decided that the academic life was for me and that plant pathology, in particular, was my calling. The idea of studying and diagnosing rotting vegetation very much appealed to my 14-year-old self.
So I diligently obtained a BSc in botany with microbiology and then a PhD on the slime around plant roots. I loved biological research but I started getting distracted by thoughts of where I could take it. The excitement of not only developing the research, but also making a business out of it sounded much more thrilling than spending the…
