Nancy Kanwisher's scientific path began unexpectedly in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where science was readily accessible. Her first publication, co-authored with her father, a field biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Geir Wing Gabrielsen, focused on diving bird physiology. This early work revealed that 'diving bradycardia' was a fear response, not an adaptation.

A pivotal moment came during a dangerous voyage on her father's boat, the Nordlys, to Norway, where she later studied ptarmigans. Despite initial struggles at MIT and a detour into journalism, Kanwisher's luck changed when she tackled the perceptual phenomenon of repetition blindness. Her rigorous experiments, despite early failures, led to a breakthrough thesis.

This work connected to Anne Treisman's research on illusory conjunctions, eventually securing her a faculty position at UCLA. Her story underscores the unpredictable nature of scientific discovery.