Gil McVean is Professor of Statistical Genetics at the University of Oxford and Director of Oxford’s Big Data Institute, BDI, within the Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery (www.bdi.ox.ac.uk). His research focuses on understanding the molecular and evolutionary processes that shape genetic variation in populations and the relationship between genetic variation and phenotype. He has played a leading role in the HapMap and 1000 Genomes Projects, is co-founder of Genomics plc, and is involved in several large-scale projects including the UK Biobank and a partnership between the BDI and Novartis.