Richard Gibbs on Craig Venter Personality
  Richard Gibbs     Biography    
Recorded: 14 May 2004

Well, Craig’s personality has been the subject of a lot of discussion because Craig is not a subtle character. He is a little bit in your face, I think, is what most people would say. But in science there are all kinds. And when someone is so productive and so innovative, then let them be in your face, I say. I have tremendous respect for Craig and his contribution. I think that’s the very first thing that you should come to. Those feisty battles in the genome days, I think, were productive. There were many personalities, not just one.

Richard A. Gibbs is currently the Director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and the Wofford Cain Professor in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics. He received a B.Sc. (Hons) in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Radiation Biology in 1985 at the University of Melbourne in Australia. In 1990 he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine, studying the molecular basis of human X-linked diseases and developing technologies for rapid genetic analysis. He developed several fundamental technologies for nucleic acid analysis. In 1991, he joined the BCM faculty and played a key role in the early planning and development phases of the Human Genome Project. In 1996, he established the BCM Human Genome Sequencing Center when Baylor was chosen as one of six programs to complete the final phase of the Human Genome Project. Dr. Gibbs has also made significant contributions to the deciphering of the fly, mouse, dictyostelium, and rat genomes. Among the numerous awards and honors received by Dr. Gibbs, he was awarded the Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award in 2000.