Maggie Phiri has always been fascinated by how science can deliver innovation, especially in relation to alleviating hunger, and this is what spurred her to follow her chosen career path. Growing up in Lilongwe as the fourth born in a family of six children, she is the first to graduate from university, where she earned a BSc in Agricultural Genetics and Biotechnology. “I enjoy being in the lab,” she says. “Instead of always being on the farm, I want to paint a different picture that you can make a difference to smallholder farmers even by doing lab work.”