As PI or co-Investigator on several ACS-, NSF-, DoD and NIH-funded grants, I laid the groundwork for the proposed research by providing key preliminary data. I received my Ph.D. in Dr. Michael Smerdon’s lab in Washington State University by working on DNA repair of UV-induced DNA damage. I did my post-doctoral training with Dr. Raymond Erikson at Harvard University by working on signal transduction in mitosis, particular polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). I started my independent laboratory at Purdue University in 2006 by focusing on understanding the regulation of Plk1 in cancer cells. As an Assistant Professor, I have made a series of contributions to the scientific community: (1) Identification of Chk1 and MK2 as two upstream regulators of Plk1. (2) Identification of Plk1 substrates in various cellular processes. In the second stage of my independent career, I aimed to understand how Plk1 directly contributes to oncogenesis by inactivation of tumor suppressors. I have established my reputation as one of major contributors of the Plk1 field over the last 20 years (Liu et al., Translational Oncology, 2015).