"God gives us human curiosity" says the renowned American physician-geneticist Dr Francis Collins whose is best known for his leadership of the Human Genome Project and his contributions to finding a vaccine for Covid. It's curiosity which has helped Collins play a part in some of the most extraordinary scientific discoveries of the modern age.

Born in 1950, Collins trained as a physician and geneticist, eventually becoming the director of the Human Genome Project. Under his leadership, scientists successfully mapped the entire human genome providing the first complete blueprint of human DNA. He went on to serve as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) being a guiding force in the medical advances in the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also a pivotal member of the team that discovered the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis.

Collins’ grew up in a secular home but embraced Christianity, finding that faith and scientific inquiry are not enemies but complementary paths to truth.

His latest book The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith and Trust examines the challenges society faces and suggests a way forward that emphasises the importance of truth, science, faith, and trust.

In this episode of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity Editor Sam Hailes about his work and the resistance he has had to it in recent years, how he sees politics divide people - especially Christians- and how he believes studying science is worship.

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Released on 13 Nov 2025