Margaret Liu has never been afraid to do things a little differently.

Maybe it started with her upbringing and the inspiration provided by her mother, whom Liu calls “a woman of incredible strength, determination, and vision.” Liu’s mother raised her young children alone after her husband’s death, at the same time earning a doctorate in English literature.

“My mother was a pioneer, in my opinion,” Liu said. “In the 1960s as a single mom, she managed to get her doctorate, raise three children, and enable all three of us kids to become physicians.”

Liu became not only a physician, but also a pioneer herself. Her research in the area of DNA vaccines may offer the hope of better, more stable immunizations that can be rapidly produced and provide protection against a variety of diseases. In 2002, she was named one of Discover magazine’s “50 Most Important Women in Science,” along with two other CC alumnae — Marcia McNutt ’74, president and CEO of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Jane Lubchenco ‘69, a professor of marine biology at Oregon State University.

Liu’s willingness to explore a different path was nurtured at Colorado College. Though she had been accepted to Yale and Princeton and her sister had chosen to go to Harvard, Liu decided on CC. She was glad she did.

“CC was the perfect place for me,” Liu said. “The small, friendly, nurturing environment was just right. And here it was fine for me to be a chemistry major and also to live in the French House, be a dedicated pianist, and be involved in Christian student groups. I didn’t have to specialize in just one thing.”

Liu graduated summa cum laude with her degree in chemistry in 1977.

"The intensity of the Block Plan, the extensive one-on-one learning with professors this unique learning and discovery environment helped teach me how to ask questions. It also instille in me the idea that it's OK to approach things in a novel way," Liu said.

After college, Liu continued to explore the things that interested her, and again took an unconventional route. She earned a degree in piano with honors from the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris before attending Harvard Medical School.

“To me it’s part of being a whole person. I knew I would never make a living as a pianist, but striving for excellence in the things that you care about and experiencing the joy of making music are important to me.”

Liu is currently vice chairman of the board of Transgene, based in Strasbourg, France. She is also a consultant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a visiting professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. When she’s not traveling for her work, Liu lives in California with her husband and two children.

“Going to work in industry after graduating from medical school, working in multiple cities — especially having young children — these are not mainstream things,” said Liu. “CC helped to nurture my independence and ability to forge new paths.”