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Professor, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Director, Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, the University of California at San Diego, USA

Qualities of an innovative thinker? Innovators possess an inquisitive nature, constantly asking why, how, and when questions. They exhibit a strong curiosity and an unwavering desire to seek answers, even if they are unknown or challenging to obtain. Their mind does not stop until they have the answer. They approach problems with the mindset of efficiently finding experimental solutions when deemed necessary. These thinkers recognize that the information taught in classes, found in literature, or presented in textbooks is a snapshot of knowledge at a particular time. They understand that human interpretation is involved, and that knowledge is subject to change. They approach existing knowledge with a critical mindset, always seeking to challenge, expand, and improve upon it.