Frances Arnold
She was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on directed evolution, creating new enzymes.
Most quoted
"I tell my students, 'If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough.' And then I tell them, 'But don't fail *too* much, because then you won't get a grant.'"
— from Interview/Talk
"The beauty of directed evolution is that it doesn't require us to understand everything about biology. It just requires us to be good at setting up experiments."
— from Scientific American interview
"The most beautiful, complex, and functional objects on the planet have been made by evolution. We can use it to make things that no human knows how to design."
— from Speech
All quotes by Frances Arnold (425)
We need to stop thinking about chemistry as a static field and start thinking about it as a dynamic, evolving one.
The biggest breakthroughs come when you're willing to challenge dogma.
Directed evolution is a powerful tool, and like all powerful tools, it comes with responsibility.
We are just scratching the surface of what directed evolution can do.
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Just get started.
The most interesting problems are often the ones that people say are impossible.
We need to embrace the messiness of biology, not try to simplify it away.
The universe is full of amazing chemistry that we haven't even dreamed of yet.
My job is to make things that nature never made, but could have.
We need to teach our students to be explorers, not just memorizers.
The beauty of directed evolution is that it's a very democratic process. Anyone can do it.
Don't be afraid to change your mind when the evidence changes.
We're moving beyond just understanding life to designing it.
The most important thing is to have fun with your science.
Nature has had billions of years to evolve solutions. We're just trying to catch up.
The biggest barrier to innovation is often our own preconceived notions.
We're not just making molecules; we're making a better world.
The most powerful experiments are often the simplest ones.
Don't be afraid to be an outsider. Sometimes that's where the best ideas come from.
Contemporaries of Frances Arnold
Other Chemistrys born within 50 years of Frances Arnold (1956).