Sam Robson is Professor of Genomics and Bioinformatics and Co-Director of the Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare at the University of Portsmouth. He leads the Sequencing and Bioinformatics Group, and enjoys using his expertise to work on a wide range of interesting and impactful research projects with a common theme of “reading” DNA. This includes exploring the regulatory role of DNA structures and their role in disease, environmental and clinical microbiology, ecological toxicology, clinical diagnostics, and paleogenomics. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the South Coast Sequencing Hub for the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK), working with partner NHS Trusts and Public Health Agencies on whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from clinical samples to help understand and minimise the spread of the virus. He is the Bioinformatics Lead for the Centre of Enzyme Innovation, using genomic approaches for the discovery and classification of novel enzymes for plastic recycling. He is a self-confessed nerd, with interests outside of his work that include playing Dungeons & Dragons, reading comic books, and playing computer games. He also enjoys long-distance trail-running and has completed some of the toughest races around the world, including UTMB around Mont Blanc, Spartathlon from Athens to Sparta, and the odd Piece of String race, where the distance was not known before it started.