Beyond Curiosity: Why Persistence Fuels Scientific Success – A Conversation with Dr. Samantha Morris
“ Persistence is an extremely valuable skill. Never taking ‘no’ for an answer.“ – Dr. Samantha Morris
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As we’ve conducted more interviews with scientists, one theme keeps emerging: curiosity.
Nearly every researcher we’ve spoken to has emphasized curiosity as a key driving force in their careers. They talk about their work with such passion that it almost seems as if they were destined to be scientists—as if curiosity were an innate trait rather than a learned skill.
So, I couldn’t stop asking myself: Is curiosity something people are born with, or can it be learned? What do you think?
This question lingered in my mind, and I couldn’t resist asking it to our next interviewee: Dr. Samantha Morris, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Specializing in developmental biology, her research is at the cutting edge of regenerative medicine. Given her pioneering role in the field, I thought she would be the perfect person to weigh in on this question.
Are you curious? I think so. Now, let’s dive into the insights she shared from her career journey.
From Biochemistry to Developmental Biology
Dr. Morris is now a faculty member at Harvard University, but her journey began in the UK.
Like many renowned scientists we’ve interviewed, she highlighted several turning points in her career:
✍️ From a young age, she was fascinated by biology.
✍️ In high school, a teacher she respected had majored in biochemistry, which planted a seed in her mind.
✍️ She pursued biochemistry as an undergraduate at Imperial College London, then earned her PhD at the University of Cambridge.
✍️ She completed postdoctoral research in London and later in Boston, starting with developmental biology and later expanding into reprogramming. She loved the dynamic research environment in the U.S. and chose to stay.
✍️ Now, she serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine and Systems Biology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Is Curiosity Innate or Learned?
I asked Dr. Morris, “Do you think curiosity is something people are born with, or can it be learned?”
💡 Her answer? Curiosity can be learned.
She recalled her experience as a PhD student, placed at a research bench with no clear direction.
At first, she struggled with fundamental questions: How do I formulate the right questions? What makes a question meaningful? It took her two years to find her footing, but in her third year, she started producing significant data and results.
Through persistence and practice, she learned how to ask the right scientific questions—proving that curiosity is not just an innate trait but a skill that can be cultivated over time.
The Value of Persistence
When we asked Dr. Morris what she believes is the most crucial quality for scientists, she answered without hesitation: PERSISTENCE.
💡 “Fail first and fail hard,” she advises her students.
Failure is inherent to scientific research, Dr. Morris explained. But young scientists, especially students, may find it discouraging. Experiments fail, hypotheses collapse, and researchers must repeatedly refine and try again.
💡 Persistence drives that process and stops you from giving up.
She said that those who develop resilience and persistence will push forward, refine their hypotheses, and ultimately make meaningful discoveries.
The ability to persist through failure is what separates successful scientists from those who give up too soon.
Her Research: Reprogramming Cells for Regenerative Medicine
Given her strong curiosity and persistence, we were eager to learn what research questions Dr. Morris is currently exploring.
You might recall our conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Millman, a stem cell researcher at Washington University. His work primarily focuses on traditional stem cell-based methods, where mature cells are reverted to a pluripotent state before being guided into specific cell types.
Dr. Morris’s approach, however, takes a different path. Instead of taking mature cells all the way back to a pluripotent state, her lab explores a more direct method of cell conversion.
Rather than resetting cells to an early embryonic state, her team focuses on transforming one mature cell type directly into another—bypassing pluripotency altogether.
This process, known as direct conversion, has the potential to make regenerative medicine more efficient and reliable. The goal is to generate functional cells that can replace damaged tissues or serve as models for studying diseases.
While direct conversion sounds promising, challenges remain. One of the biggest hurdles is ensuring that reprogrammed cells fully adopt the characteristics of their target identity. A key aspect of her research focuses on refining this process to improve the consistency and functionality of the transformed cells.
AI and Its Impact on Developmental Biology
As we are very interested in AI and its impact on our society, we also asked Dr. Morris about AI’s role in her field and its potential impact on regenerative medicine.
Her insights were fascinating.
💡 “AI is having a huge impact on our work,” she explained.
Over the past decade, scientists have been generating massive datasets using single-cell genomics, collecting information on gene expression and various cellular features.
Now, the challenge is: How do we analyze this data efficiently? How can we gain new insights?
That’s where AI is revolutionizing biology.
One of the biggest challenges in regenerative medicine is identifying the right combination of factors to manipulate cell identity. Traditionally, scientists have relied on trial and error, but AI is changing that.
For example, Dr. Morris and her team developed a machine-learning platform (a subset of AI) to predict how cell identity changes when certain biological modifications are introduced. While still in its early stages, she described AI as having the potential to improve these predictions dramatically. Deep learning methods are now being applied to optimize reprogramming strategies, making this an exciting area of research.
💡 “We’re not great at it yet,” she admitted, “but it’s a really fast-moving field, and I think it’s something to watch.”
Looking Back: Advice to Her Teenage Self
Before wrapping up, we asked, “If you could go back to your teenage years, what would you change?”
She highlighted two key areas.
First, she wished she had learned programming earlier. While she eventually taught herself coding, she believes acquiring those skills in her teens would have been a game changer. Even now, with AI evolving rapidly, she acknowledged that many believe AI will eventually take over programming jobs. However, she emphasized that the logical thinking and analytical skills that programming teaches are valuable in any field.
Second, she stressed the importance of business knowledge, particularly in entrepreneurship. She reflected that if she had understood business fundamentals earlier, she might have seized entrepreneurial opportunities she missed.
💡 “To be an effective leader,” she stressed, “understanding organizations and business is just as important as scientific expertise.”
Final Thoughts
Our conversation left no doubt—Dr. Morris embodies the very qualities she champions: curiosity and persistence.
Her story is proof that:
🔹 Curiosity can be nurtured.
🔹 Persistence leads to breakthroughs.
🔹 AI is transforming the future of biological research.
Dr. Morris is one of several scientists we’ve interviewed who were born in other countries and have built their careers in the U.S. If you’re interested in learning about other researchers who took a similar path, check out our interviews with Dr. Hong Chen (biomedical engineering, WashU) and Dr. Samagya Banskota (Boston University).
If you enjoyed our conversation with Dr. Morris, explore our other interviews with scientists pushing the boundaries of their fields. And if you’re passionate about STEM, stay curious, keep asking questions, and never be afraid to fail.
Talk to you soon!
Thomas
