Axinn will describe his research career of designing and implementing population studies in the U.S. and Nepal and assisting other studies to launch in India and China. These data creation projects form the foundation for scientific contributions by Axinn and his students. These experiences also taught Axinn key institution building lessons: the importance of growth while maintaining excellence; leadership of original projects to advance science; raising financial support to accomplish this; and systematic integration of students into these processes. Building on these lessons, he will outline a vision for the next phase of the HKU Research Hub. He will then share thoughts about his own integration into HKU, Hong Kong, and the surrounding region — grounded in humility regarding all he does not yet know and excitement for learning from collaborators here. He will close with a description of his current projects and initiatives and how he expects those to evolve were he at HKU.