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30th Anniversary of the Human Genome Project

Interviews with genomics leaders

October 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Human Genome Project (HGP). To commemorate this historic milestone, NHGRI’s History of Genomics Program is featuring 30 oral history interviews with prominent genomics experts relevant to the HGP and the broader field of genomics. This collection includes interviews with HGP architects, government officials who managed the HGP and researchers who actively contributed to the HGP’s success. We will feature one oral history per week for 30 consecutive weeks, culminating on Oct. 1, 2020.

Richard Gibbs

Richard Gibbs, Ph.D. is the Wofford Cain Chair and Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is also the director and founder of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor which played a key role in the Human Genome Project (HGP). In this oral history Richard recounts how he first came to Baylor in the late 1980’s as a postdoctoral fellow in Thomas Caskey’s laboratory. He also discusses his role in founding the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor, which was one of the major DNA sequencing centers involved in completing the HGP. As someone who was closely involved in every stage of the HGP, Richard provides a wealth of unique and fascinating insights into how the project developed.

Last updated: Ocotober 20, 2020