She was demoted for years for chasing an idea that became the Covid vaccine

Biochemist Katalin Karikó spent decades pursuing messenger RNA as a medical tool, losing grant funding and getting demoted along the way. Her work with Drew Weissman on modifying mRNA so the body wouldn't reject it became the technical foundation for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. In 2023 the pair won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

— The Nobel Committee (Karikó and Weissman), The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023 — Nobel Foundation, 2023