I was remarkably non-ambitious. I really felt I wanted to take it easy, and that ambition came much, much later. It came with the decision to do science and the interest in science.

Peter K. Vogt works at Scripps Research, La Jolla, California. His fundamental studies on oncogenic avian retroviruses led to the identification of oncogenes in human cells. His work also includes the discovery of MYC, the most important driver in human cancer, and he made pioneering contributions to the understanding of PI3Ks, a family of critical cancer targets.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Vogt remains actively engaged in research on the biology and genetics of cancer.