> People get lucky, then try to rationalize the past with a skill narrative. Then they soak up all the grants.

They have to put themselves in the situation to get lucky first. This person got a graduate education, and was competent enough to be selected to be doing research in what is likely a multimillion dollar lab owned by an institution, then she had the knowledge and ability to notice and be able to identify what had "accidentally" happened with a micro-organism that we barely understand.

Luck was the smallest part of this discovery. I would say that the grant money is well spent funding someone so "lucky".