This courage, to go where no one has gone before, has shaped her scientific career from the start:

“As a new PI, I took on some safe projects to help secure my academic position but I also invested in adventurous, more risky projects. It was those that helped me open a new door,” said Wang, who moved from asymmetric cell division to dedifferentiation before landing on neural stem cell reactivation, each move a bold venture into the next unexplored territory.

Her ingredients for success? The right environment, good mentors who offer encouragement and advice, and a high-performing team. And standing up for herself.

“Sometimes women give up too much of themselves. But you don’t live for others; you live for yourself,” she said. “Put your own interests first, make sure you are doing well and then everything will come together.”

Put another way, making choices and owning them. For Wang, this has come down to focusing on quality over quantity—whether in research or at home. Surrounding herself with people who share her vision and values has been critical. 

“I had lots of support at home from my husband and parents. That helped me become slightly more hands-off. And that was something I needed to be in the lab as well because when you become a senior PI, you can’t always be hands-on. Empowering others is crucial for their future independence.”

But learning how to manage a lab is something that Wang had to acquire the hard way: Finding the right people who didn’t just have the talent but would thrive as a part of her lab, took time.

Now, her greatest fulfilment comes from helping others in the lab, as well as junior faculty in her programme and across the School.

Apart from having the courage to explore new areas of research, Wang has one other piece of advice for those starting out: “As a PI, you have to be careful to not always feel contented, especially as your career starts to take off, but be conscious about areas where you can improve. So find mentors who will help point out your weaknesses too.”