We interviewed the Principal Investigators responsible for leading each of the CIVICs Centers as part of a two-part interview series. In the first part of each interview, we focused on learning a little bit about the person behind the science, and in the second part, we asked each PI to introduce us to their Center. This article kicks off our series with an introduction to Tony Moody, the Principal Investigator of the Duke CIVIC Vaccine Center.
What is one thing on your Bucket List?
I’d really like to get back to playing music and finally be able to devote some time to raise my skill level. In my old office, I had a guitar hanging on the wall in plain view, and people always asked about my playing. My current level is barely above a beginner, and honestly, the last couple of years have been so busy it’s hard to carve out time to make progress. I’m hopeful that when we get out of dealing with COVID and the rest of our jobs that I will have time to practice every day. We shall see.
What is your favorite thing to do around town (or country)?
I like traveling, both exploring new places and revisiting places I’ve been. My style of travel is to have maximum flexibility, or perhaps more accurately, when I’m traveling for enjoyment, I don’t believe in having a fixed itinerary but prefer to explore. So I always enjoy going back to places because there is always more to see/do.
Are you a morning person or a night person?
I am now a morning person, though I am somewhat grouchy in the AM. I used to be a night person, but medical school / residency forced me to switch, and then after kids and having to deal with getting them to school, I never switched back.
What was your childhood dream job?
I always wanted to be a scientist, though I probably thought I would be a physicist. I remember having a love for both physics and chemistry, as well as all the intersections of those like geology, meteorology, etc. I ended up falling in love with medical research in college, and that led me here.
Who is your favorite film director?
Good question. If you are talking about 13 years old or so, it probably would have been between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg because I was 10 when “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” came out. But my tastes grew, and after a film course in college, I fell in love with the classic black and white films of people like Frank Capra, George Cukor, Howard Hawks, and John Ford. I’d say now I couldn’t name a director but could name a fleet of them. Some of my current favorites would be Edgar Wright, the Russo brothers, the Coen brothers, Ryan Coogler, and Jordan Peele.
