An actor. I watched a lot of TV because we lived in the countryside and the weather was so bad.

A jazz drummer.

I wanted to get into medical college.

A veterinarian, but I decided against it because it required too many years of schooling; I wasn’t great at school.

if you drive yourself to win prizes, I think you will never get it, as you are busy thinking about it. And secondly, this is a bad way of living life.

The culture in the East is a little bit strange to me. People are too nice, they’re very obedient and do not challenge authority. I think you should be a little more chaotic, rude and daring.

what I'm really worried about and concerned is the lack of the voice of the leadership.

Diversifying means going abroad…Be in another culture, speak a different language, see how other people think. Leave and then come back.

Science for me is a language of peace and the only one I know which is absolutely international. I can talk to a UK scientist or any scientist worldwide about my research and they understand exactly what I am talking about. We may even find an area of mutual interest to collaborate on and together we can make an even greater impact on the world around us.

I never listened to any noise around me. I listened only to my gut feeling and did what I should have