Mary Cundiff, PhD

"... to establish a foundation 'for the greatest benefit of humankind.' Nobel envisioned a fund that would support discoveries advancing the human condition. The idea is that rather than celebrating an impressive career, we support discoveries that have pushed the progress of the human race as a whole."

"What’s happening across the entire tissue? Are neighboring cells influencing gene expression? How is the architecture of the tissue contributing to disease?

This isn’t just about whether genes are turned up or down. It’s about seeing where those changes happen and how they influence other regions, across space and structure."

Mary Cundiff

"The Earth’s crust is constantly being reconfigured and actually has a quasi-periodic supercontinent cycle. One cycle is said to take 300-500 million years, and the next one is expected to occur within the next 250 million years. Many have made predictions of the configuration, suggesting that it will likely exist at the equator and the most common prediction being called Pangaea Ultima."

"We know surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, little about the brain. While we have developed countless techniques to study the organs of the body, the brain remains stubbornly opaque. Known for its complexity, it is also uniquely inaccessible, constantly changing, and responsible for the very act of studying itself."

"Wouldn’t it be great if we could personalize medicine? What if we could tailor treatment to your specific biology instead of relying on broad, one-size-fits-most approaches? It might sound a bit futuristic or too good to be true, but we might be closer to this reality than we realize."

"Science has this view of being fact or fiction, black and white; very rigid results. This is both true and false. In politics, we see science being used as a tool to say “This is fact and therefore you have to agree with me.” It is so much more than that. I think we’ve forgotten just how awe-inspiring science really is… It’s more than just data and results. It’s a way of seeing the world."

"Our work is meaningful, but it is nothing without the collective effort of researchers pulling their own weight. And when you finally reach that pinnacle moment of solving your precious single puzzle piece– amid failure, reevaluation, and eventual success– you realize how much more there is to learn."

"Unfortunately, the power and prestige associated with tenure sometimes enable abusive behavior, particularly by those who see themselves as untouchable."