Science
Susan Taylor says she dreams about molecules, but she never planned to work on them. The Wisconsin-born biochemist intended to be a doctor, until love led her in a different direction-and she never looked back. Taylor is known for having unraveled the molecular structure of protein kinase, an enzyme that helps turn on and off some of the most important processes in the human body. Her work has given other scientists the tools they needed to understand the structure and role of other kinases, and how to use them to develop new, more effective treatments for disease. Susan Taylor is a Professor of Pharmacology, Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1996.