Fiona Mumoki grew up in Nairobi as the middle child in a family of five children. Her initial plan was to be an entertainer, and she had even formed a band as a young girl. But then she stumbled upon one of her father’s books, which changed her mind. “This book contained beautiful pictures of scientists receiving awards, and information about the nature of research,” she recalls. “There was a quote by a researcher who spoke about stumbling in the dark to find a solution, and that’s when I made up my mind to go into research.