That means the researcher has been in drug discovery — the
earliest stage of the drug development process — long enough to
see her fair share of successes, like the
development of treatments for HIV, as well as failures.

But of all the years of innovation and cutting-edge ideas
she's experienced, she told Business Insider that right now is
the best time to be in the field.

"Today is the most exciting time to be in the biological
sciences," she told Business Insider.

That's for a few reasons, she said.

There's been an explosion of new research on the
microbiome, or the microorganisms that live in and on our
bodies that play a role in our overall health, compared to five
years ago when there was just a trickle of new
developments.

Then there's
CRISPR, the groundbreaking gene-editing tool that could one
day manipulate cells to create new therapies.

There's also been better research on the immune system, which
in turn is helping build a better understanding of infectious
diseases, Hazuda said.

Research in to infectious disease biology, the research
Hazuda works on, is now expanding beyond pathogens (the bacteria,
viruses or other organisms that cause disease). Now, Hazuda and
other researchers are learning more about entire "constellations
of organisms," such as mosquitoes or zebra fish. These external
creatures could be an important piece of human health, even if
they're not inside the body, she said.

But even with these developments, there's still a lot we don't
know about the biological sciences, Hazuda said. It's why her
employer Merck set up a video in which the company asked
people what inventions they can't wait for. Very few
mentioned new ways to treat diseases.

"It's important for people to understand that there are still
amazing discoveries that are yet to be made," she said. "What
looks crazy today will become routine in the future."