NHGRI's Oral History Collection: Interview with Stephen Fodor
Channel: National Human Genome Research Institute
Date: 2020-04-30

Stephen Fodor, Ph.D., is the founder of the biotechnology company Affymetrix based in Palo Alto, California. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie Institution of Science. Part 1 of this oral history will cover Dr. Fodor’s early life at Washington State University, and later Princeton University, his groundbreaking work at the biotech company Affymax developing technologies for the synthesis of micro-arrays which would have a profound impact on the progress of the Human Genome Project. Dr. Fodor also recounts his experiences interacting and working with many key figures in the early history of the Human Genome Project.

The National Human Genome Research Institute’s (NHGRI) Oral History Collection features discussions with influential figures in the field of genomics and the history of institute. Intended for researchers and scholars, each oral history contains extensive conversation about science and medicine, biographical details and insights into the inner workings of institutions and initiatives. For more information, visit NHGRI’s History of Genomics Program at: https://www.genome.gov/leadership-initiatives/History-of-Genomics-Program.

Interview Questions:
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00:24 - What led you into the field of chemistry?
02:55 - Who were some of your mentors as an undergraduate?
06:10 - Who were your key mentors during graduate school?
08:35 - How did you get into the world of biotechnology?
10:32 - How did you become involved with the company Affymax?
15:05 - Tell us about your experiments at Affymax?
16:35 - How did you build the technology which led to the development of high-density microarrays?
23:35 - Why would you not have been able to do this in a traditional academic lab?
30:36 - What was your first experience involving the human genome project?
33:11 - How did you deal with the skepticism of your technology from the panel?
34:10 - Why did you think your technology was right to fit the sequence of the human genome?