As a child, growing up in Tijuana, Mexico, I remember watching a segment of a television show about how scientists make plastics by encouraging small molecules to stick together. I imagined people with tiny tweezers, carefully joining atoms one by one. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. What I didn’t know was how many hurdles lay ahead. After completing undergraduate studies and a PhD in chemistry at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Cinvestav) in Mexico City, at which I worked on materials for energy production, I moved through a series of postdoctoral positions that focused mostly on the development of scientific software. Along the way, the naive image I had of a scientific career was shattered by the reality of the academic environment: becoming a scientist often meant learning to navigate toxic spaces, unhealthy working conditions, and, sometimes, unethical practices.…