Magda Zernicka-Goetz has made pioneering contributions to our understanding of the development of the early mammalian embryo. She developed novel cell-labelling and time-lapse imaging techniques to generate a complete atlas of cell fate in the early mouse embryo. She complemented this by pioneering mRNAs microinjection into individual cells to identify key cell-fate genes. She was the first to demonstrate that RNAi was effective in mammalian cells. Her work highlighted the importance of the inter-relationship between cell polarity and gene expression in fate decisions. Recently, she developed an in vitro system to analyse development from the blastocyst through gastrulation. She discovered cytoplasmic movements in eggs that are predictive of successful development.