Azurii Collier
Why did you choose Northwestern?
I chose Northwestern because of the brand, the fit with the department, and the city of Chicago. Northwestern is a premier research institution and I knew my training would be world-class. I felt an alignment between my intellectual curiosity and the professors' approach to research. Lastly, I wanted to connect to the energy, history and culture of Chicago itself and knew selecting Northwestern would enable that goal.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience? What was it then and/or what it is now?
I investigated how the brain solves problems via an Aha! moment. There are different brain networks and areas that enable solving a problem more analytically relative to via a moment of insight. I explored the brain and behavior by imaging the brain while people solved problems and made decisions. Interestingly, intuition itself is a cognitive process related to insight. I explored how the unconscious processes of insight and intuition related to problem solving and decision making.
Tell us who or what inspired your research and/or work.
As a child, I always wanted to understand human behavior and in middle school I learned that the brain controls human behavior. Numerous minority undergraduate research programs provided the opportunity to develop my research interest, skills and acumen while at Emory University. From those experiences, I observed that leaders in government and industry had terminal research degrees (i.e., Ph.D.). Because I wanted to be a leader in the scientific enterprise, I decided that a Ph.D. would be an important achievement.
Tell us about a current achievement or something you're working on that excites you.
I have a vision to forge Chicago into the biotechnology capital of the world. Chicago has the expertise, ecosystem and enthusiasm to galvanize the disparate resources and become a leading region that drives innovation. I want to be a key leader in setting and achieving this vision. As such, I am an active advisor to biotechnology startups (in partnership with MATTER) and a national leader in an organization that promotes career development for women in the industry (in partnership with Women in Bio). With these and other engagements, I am excited about achieving this vision.
What advice would you give your younger self or someone considering a similar path?
"Grace to Grow" & "Everyday Excellence" are my mantras. Along the journey of life, mistakes and failures will happen. We must learn to fail faster yet give ourselves the grace to grow. Giving ourselves grace to grow rejects the myth of perfectionism. Lastly, pursue excellence everyday and in all things. Doing your best while balancing the outcomes with grace allows you to cultivate a balanced life.