Dr. Hope Beier is a Program Director in the Imaging Technology Development Branch of the Cancer Imaging Program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).  Dr. Beier received a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2009 with research focused on bio-optical sensing and spectroscopy. She then completed a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) investigating the impact of high energy laser exposures on mammalian cells using advanced microscopy techniques.  She continued this work as government civilian at AFRL, reaching the rank of Senior Research Biomedical Engineer and serving in both Principal Investigator and Program Management roles. While at AFRL, she was awarded the AFRL Early Career Award and the John L. McLucas Award, an annual award recognizing the top Basic Science Researcher in AFRL, for her research focusing on the development of novel optical techniques to understand the basic bioeffects of electromagnetic energy exposure.  In 2018, she left AFRL to take the opportunity to spend more time with her two young children and explore the world of medical startups.  In 2020, she assumed the role of Chief Technology Officer for Odin Technologies, a startup focused on solving compartment syndrome in patients with severe limb injuries using optical sensors for perfusion monitoring. She recently returned to government service, accepting her current position at the National Institutes of Health in 2022.  In this presentation, Dr. Beier will provide insight into her experiences at her various career stages along with highlights of the research she conducted along the way.