One of the most important parts of science is asking the right questions. As an engineer trying to break into medical research, Joseph Butner, Ph.D., found that some of the questions he was trying to answer weren’t actually all that important to oncologists in the clinic and they weren’t translating into new or better treatments for patients.

But Butner was certain that if the right mathematical methods that have traditionally...

Guang Lei, M.D., Ph.D., spends his days in a lab studying ferroptosis, a type of programmed cell death.

But it’s not a love of science or a fascination with cells that brought him here, although he admits he has those, too. For Lei, it’s all about finding solutions for the struggling patients he met as a resident physician in China. 

During his time as a student, Lei saw the struggles that cancer patients faced firsthand...