An interview with Susan Strome.

Susan Strome is Distinguished Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA. Recently appointed an editor at Development, her lab studies the regulation of germ cell development in C. elegans , with a particular focus on the epigenetic transmission of chromatin states. We caught up with Susan to discuss her early career switch from prokaryotes to worms, her experiences of small and big science, and why teaching is so important to her.