Maynard Olson is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Genome Sciences at the University of Washington. His research expertise is in the study of natural genetic variation in humans and bacteria. Olson served on the National Research Council Committees on Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome and Toward Precision Medicine, the Advisory Council of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and numerous other groups that shaped policy for the Human Genome Project. He is presently involved in writing projects that explore the interface between science and the humanities.